The Basics of 360-degree Performance Feedback
03/05/07
If the thought of creating a 360-degree feedback program has you running around in circles, here are some practical suggestions to help you get your bearings:
Examine Your Motives
Make certain you have sound reasons for scrapping your current performance evaluation system. The main appeal of 360 feedback is its potential to help employees appreciate the scope of their influence and give them more objective information about their performance than they’d get from a supervisor alone. But don’t make the change unless you’re sure it’s justified. A good maxim to follow: “If it works, don’t fix it.”
Choose Relevant Respondents
Choose feedback providers who have worked long enough with your employees to make valid judgments about their performance. The feedback circle will typically include the workers themselves (who provide a self-assessment), supervisors, subordinates, peers or teammates, and other internal and external parties they work with routinely. A purchasing agent’s feedback circle may include, for example, inventory control and accounts payable clerks, the department heads for whom they buy materials or supplies, peer purchasing agents, the purchasing department manager, and regular contacts in vendors’ firms. For the sake of objectivity, respondents should understand the employee’s full range of responsibilities, not just those that apply to their direct relationship.
Ask your feedback group for tangible examples—what, where, and when specific incidents took place—to support and document their ratings. Emphasize that this isn’t a witch hunt. You’re looking for honest and constructive feedback, positive and negative alike, that will be used to praise and reward outstanding performance as well as pinpoint areas that may need improvement.
Consider Weighted Ratings
Feedback providers’ opinions shouldn’t necessarily receive equal weight. The ratings of those who rely heavily on the quality of an employee’s performance might deserve more weight than ratings from people who only have occasional contact with that worker.
What Should Raters Rate?
This depends on the impact that your employees’ behavior and job competencies have on people within their sphere of influence. Some general areas to include:
Dependability (respecting deadlines, honoring commitments, and meeting or exceeding expectations)
Cooperation (willingness to help internal and external colleagues with common interests resolve mutual problems)
Temperament (behavior under pressure)
Oral and written communication skills
Quality of the employee’s work
Your survey form should clarify the relative differences among performance levels by defining what constitutes outstanding performance as compared to above average, average, below average, and performance that needs to improve. Written guidelines help to ensure consistency among members of the feedback circle and discourage them from making up their own personal definitions—which could vary considerably from one individual to the next.
Streamline the Process
The easier it is for people to reply, the more feedback you’re likely to get. Consider designing an e-mail survey with a checklist format that also provides space for people to include clarifying details or expand on comments that justify their ratings. For obvious reasons, keep all replies confidential and anonymous (from the employee’s point of view).
Summarize and Discuss Results
Summarize the information you’ve received in a report that highlights the group’s consensus, acknowledges and praises outstanding performance, and provides specific suggestions to help your workers improve deficiencies through additional training, coaching, or other suitable means.