‘How to -

Conduct 180˚
and 360˚ Appraisals’
Introduction
Appraisals are now used, almost universally, as the main channel for providing
feedback to individuals on how to develop their performance. Traditionally, feedback
in appraisal follows top down from the line manager to the individual being
appraised. Although this is valuable, there is an opportunity to broaden the appraisal
to include:
• Upward feedback from team members to their line manager
• Feedback from colleagues, mentors or from contacts outside the organisation, such
as clients or suppliers.

This has obvious benefits:

• The workplace is flatter and increasingly project focused with individuals working in
matrix structures or remotely from home. Line managers typically have less contact
with their direct reports and so need information from other sources if they are to
provide valuable feedback.
• Direct reports can use their own experience to give particularly valuable feedback
to their line manager.

Definitions
180˚ Appraisal extends the traditional appraisal process to make the feedback
process two-way. Feedback from team members can be provided to their line
manager on a one-to-one basis during the individual’s appraisal discussion, or it can
be collated and presented as group feedback from all team members.

360˚ Appraisal involves capturing feedback about an individual from a range of

people (respondents) including his or her line manager, colleagues and direct
reports. The data is then compared with the individual’s own assessment of their
performance. In some models, external contacts and partners may also be involved.

Traditional 1800 3600

Appraisal Appraisal Appraisal

Line Line Line

Manager Manager Manager

Individu
External al Colleague
Contact(s (s)
)

Direct Direct
Report Report(s) Direct
Report(s)
What to consider
180˚ and 360˚ appraisal processes both need careful planning and management.
Providing respondents with a questionnaire will help them to structure their feedback
and encourage them to focus on the individual’s behaviour and performance rather
than their personality.

Key points to consider as you design the process include:

1. What Data you should gather

2. How to design the feedback questionnaire

3. How to give feedback

 1. Deciding what data to gather

Two commonly used formats for questionnaires are:

i. Stop/Start/Continue Questionnaire –

This uses three basic questions:

• What would you like the person to START doing? - Something they don’t currently
do but would be helpful if they did
• What would you like the person to STOP doing? - Something they currently do but
isn’t helpful
• What would you like the person to CONTINUE doing? - Something they already do
that you would like to reinforce

ii. Development Questionnaire

This seeks feedback against a set of competences that are aligned with business
need such as:
• People Management
• Problem Solving
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership.
• People Management
• Problem Solving
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Decision Taking
 2. Designing the questionnaire

The questionnaire should be easy to understand. Here are some tips:

• Tell respondents what will happen to the feedback they provide, emphasizing
whether it will be provided directly to the individual, or whether it will be collated
with the feedback from other respondents to preserve their anonymity.
• Keep the questionnaire simple and short - it is more likely to be completed if it is
easy to fill in.
• Avoid multiple questions e.g. “Is the manager willing to listen and do they respond
appropriately?” This forces people to give one response to two subjects.
• Use appropriate scales - ensure enough scope for people to score their response,
but avoid giving people the option to select the ‘middle ground’.
• Use quality and frequency scales - How good is it and how often do they do it?

Very Good Good Average Fairly Poor Poor

Frequency Quality

Too Correct Not

Often Often Excels Good Some More
enough improvement improvement
needed needed

• Provide instructions for completing and returning the questionnaire - make sure
these are clear and easily understood.
• Pilot - try the questionnaire out with a small selection of staff. Review success and
make any improvements
 3. Managing the feedback process

The feedback process is the key to the success of 180˚ or 360˚ appraisal feedback.
You need to consider whether:

• The individual should receive the completed feedback questionnaire(s) or a report

that aggregates the feedback. The latter is preferable as it preserves the anonymity
of the respondents.
• Direct reports should provide feedback to their line manager face-to-face. Some
organisations see that the easiest next step for their appraisal process is to
encourage upward as well as downward feedback during the appraisal discussion,
(see ‘How to Prepare an Appraisal’, for a more detailed description of the appraisal
discussion). This can be a difficult option as without an open culture and a high level
of interpersonal skills, individuals may find it difficult to provide honest feedback to
their line manager.
• The feedback is provided to the individual by his or her line manager or by an
independent third party.
This works particularly well if the third party is skilled in giving feedback and can go
on to act as a coach.

180˚ and 360˚ Appraisal and Investors in People

The Investors in People indicators provide a clear framework for the development of
an appraisal system. Check the effectiveness of your system by working through the
following indicators and associated evidence.

Main Indicator
Indicator 2
Learning and development is planned to achieve the organisation’s
objectives.

Evidence:
 Top managers can explain the organisation’s learning and development
needs, the plans and resources in place to meet them, how these link to
achieving specific objectives and how the impact will be evaluated.
 Managers can explain team learning and development needs, the activities
planned to meet them, how these link to achieving specific team objectives
and how the impact will be evaluated.
 People can describe how they are involved in identifying their learning and
development needs and the activities planned to meet them.
 People can explain what their learning and development activities should
achieve for them, their team and the organisation.

Completing an 180˚ appraisal is not an essential part of the Investors in People

Standard. As it says, it simply requires training and development needs to be
reviewed.
Additional Indicators
Indicator 5
Managers are effective in leading, managing and developing people.

Evidence:
 Managers can explain how they are effective in leading, managing and
developing people.
 Managers can give examples of how they give people constructive feedback
on their performance regularly and when appropriate.
 People can explain how their managers are effective in leading, managing and
developing them.
 People can give examples of how they receive constructive feedback on their
performance regularly and when appropriate.

Indicator 7
People are encouraged to take ownership and responsibility by being
involved in decision-making.

Evidence:
 Managers can describe how they promote a sense of ownership and
responsibility by encouraging people to be involved in decision-making, both
individually and through representative groups, where they exist.
 People can describe how they are encouraged to be involved in decision-
making that affects the performance of individuals, teams and the
organisation, at a level that is appropriate to their role.
 People can describe how they are encouraged to take ownership and
responsibility for decisions that affect the performance of individuals, teams
and the organisation, at a level that is appropriate to their role.