Ready to audit your 360 feedback process?

Here’s a quick guide to help you identify and address the most common trouble spots when it comes to managing a 360 feedback campaign. Review the areas of improvement and suggested solutions for each section.

To download a version of this guide click here.

SURVEY CONTENT: Is it relevant and timely?

Current content

How long has it been since your competencies have been examined? 

Make sure your competencies are up to date and relevant.

Do your items lend themselves to “likeability”? 

Survey items must be behaviorally specific.

Do your rating scales make sense? 

Choose a rating scale that is appropriate and understandable.

How much time do you really expect participants to spend completing the survey? 

Don’t try to measure everything, pick your biggest concerns.

SURVEY ADMINISTRATION: Are you leveraging technology?

Getting everything done is a nightmare

10 managers x 10 surveys x 30 pages of reports = 3000 pieces of paper. 

Send all communication electronically.

Set-up, follow-up, logistics can be a headache.

Take care of registration and assignment of raters.

Analysis at a group level can be cumbersome.

Deliver reminders.

Offer real-time progress statistics.

Handle all analysis and crunching.

Provide quality individual and group reports.

360 FEEDBACK REPORTS: Are they meaningful and actionable?

Do managers get what they need? 

There is A LOT of information.

Summarize relative strengths and developmental needs.

Reports appear complex. 

Highlight major findings — hidden strengths and biggest development needs.

Too many ratings are made. 

Don’t try to measure everything — pick your biggest concerns.

Very little “so what” or “what’s next”. 

Include next steps and developmental recommendations.

COMMUNICATIONS: Are they clear and candid?

Communication is sometimes lacking. 

The general confusion about how the results will and won’t be used. 

Include your Executive “organizational sponsor”.

Unknown factors by participants lead to suspicions.

Explain all logistics at the beginning.

Lack of buy-in or not taking the survey seriously impacts all results. 

Focus on the WIFM (What’s in it for me).

Focus on how the results will or won’t be used.

Provide contact information for additional questions and concerns.

DELIVERING FEEDBACK: Do you have a solid plan?

Delivering feedback. 

Misinterpreting the results. 

Too much communication is better than too little.

Poor ratings lead to major consequences without proper explanation.

Hold managers accountable for conducting quality feedback sessions.

Manager accountability for feedback. 

Get to the underlying causes of the results.

Managers may downplay potential problem areas. 

Make sure managers have the ability to “coach” and “develop”.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT: Is there specificity and accountability?

Lack of structure and actions.

Reports get filed away never to be seen. 

Create and document a real, and realistic, development plan.

Accountability for development is lacking. 

Hold participants accountable for development activities.

Thoughts that “formal training” will fix all.

70/20/10 development model works.

Reduced ROI. 

Monitor Progress and make development and process rather than an event.

Related Blog Post: Delivering 360 Feedback Results

Related Resource: 360 Feedback— Your complete guide