360 degree

feedback
360-Degree Feedback

! 360-Degree Feedback is basically a Multi-Rater Feedback System.

! In this system:
! The candidate is assessed periodically by a number of assessors
including his boss, immediate subordinates, colleagues, internal
customers and external customers.

! The assessment is made on a questionnaire specially designed to

measure behaviours considered as critical for performance.

! Others do the appraisal anonymously and the assessment is

collected by an external agent (consultant) or specially designated
internal agent.
 
Objectives of 360df

! Providing insights into strong and weak areas of the candidate

! Identifying developmental needs
! Generating data to serve as more objective basis for rewards and
other decisions
! Reinforcing other change management efforts and interventions for
organizational effectiveness
! Aligning individual and group goals
! Culture building
Objectives of 360df

! Leadership development
! Potential appraisal and development
! Career planning and development
! Succession planning and development
! Team building
! Planning internal customer satisfaction measures
! Role clarity
Corporate practices

! 360df in Maruti Suzuki India Limited led to

strengthening the leadership style of
managers by collaborating, participating,
developing and appreciating the people
and becoming a role model for others;
! JKused combo of competency mapping,
assessment centres and 360 df
Corporate practices

! 360 df at BEL for leadership development

! Use of 360 df at Gati across a 12 year
period; gaps were identified in one’s self
perception vs perception of manager,
peer or DRs
Advantages

! More objective
! Supplements traditional appraisal system
! Provides feedback which is more acceptable to employee
! Identifies development needs, reward management, performance
development
! Helps focus on internal customer satisfaction
! More participative and enhances quality of HR decisions
Prerequisites

! Top management committed to develop competencies of

employees on continuous basis
! HRD systems operating to be taken seriously
! Top management and senior managers conduct their performance
review sessions regularly
! Top management willing to subject itself for an assessment by
subordinates
! Too many status barriers and ego problems do not exist in the
organisation
! People take feedback seriously and use for development
Prerequisites

! Not too much of politics is there

! There should be good degree of teamwork
! HR Department should have a high degree of credibility
! Managers are interested in learning about themselves
! Organisation is value driven
! Managers take their jobs seriously
! People take feedback seriously
Readiness of a candidate for MAF

! Candidate has a desire to know himself/herself through eyes of

others
! Candidate is receptive and respects views of others
! Candidate should be a learning oriented individual
! Candidate should have a direct working relationship with at least six
individuals who can rate him;
! Candidate should not have a history of psychological problems
myths

! Implementing 360 degree feedback immediately brings

revolutionary change in organization

! 360 degree feedback is a one time process and it needs no follow

up; nor does it need to be linked with any other system

! 360 degree feedback is meant only for senior and top management;
young managers are not likely to benefit from it
myths

! Success of 360 degree feedback depends on finding out exact

source of feedback
! It is too late to change now
! 360 degree feedback is conclusive
! Why 360 degree feedback for a high performer
! What additional help will a 360 degree feedback give me
! We are a very open organization; what more can we get from a 360
degree feedback
Conditions for successful 360 df

! Purpose: best suited as a developmental tool and most firms not ready to
use it as a performance measure; best measure for identifying potential
candidates for select positions; unless external coach is available 360 df may
not result in leadership improvements;

! Readiness: Firms should be ready to take 360 df; many instruments come
titled ‘Are you ready to take on 360 df’;

! ABG ensured HR managers prepare organizations for this readiness;

! readiness may be made in phases: phase 1 voluntary and exploring; phase

2: purely developmental and individual focused; Phase 3: institutionalize;
phase 4: linkages with other HR systems; should be externally administered
first and then with comfort level it may be institutionalized
! Instrument: Over 100 vendors estimated to be present in US;
instruments based on leadership models
! tool should focus on competencies needed by the candidate;
competencies needed by the company, department and the
culture, norms and values the firm would like to promote could be
focused;

! tool could be changed every now and then and used as part of
training interventions
! Process: feedback to be given after explaining scope of feedback

! Follow up: very little done to follow up

! Most 360 degree feedback do not give ROI as like PMS organization thinks its job
is over once 360 degree feedback provided;

! follow up may include asking candidates providing his development plans;

! asking consultant to give suggestions on development in form of training needs;

! conducting follow up workshops after a period of three months or six months;

! Follow up (contd):
! making mentors and coaches available;

! encouraging candidates to develop their own tools and seek feedback on their
own;

! integrating it into PMS through KPAs etc.;

! HR department should be able to play an active role and task forces may be
used;

! documenting the success experience and sharing the same to inspire each
other;
! Follow up (contd):
! Building internal competencies:

! potential and limitations of 360 df need to be understood;

! there is no substitute for developing internal competencies of line

managers and HR facilitators for administering and using the same;
360-Degree Feedback

! T.V Rao and team as Top Management Styles And organization

Effectiveness program started 360-degree feedback in mid-eighties at the
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad;

! it was not branded till 1998 as 360-degree appraisal. Once it was branded
in the US as 360-degree appraisal, it caught the attention of many
corporations
Good 360 degree programme
! Uses tools based on organizational needs

! Uses simple language

! Keeps changing tools with passage of time to keep building newer

competencies in employees

! Provides coaching and follow up support to help candidate to use

360 degree feedback and benefit from it the most
Good 360 degree programme

! Ensures candidate receiving 360 degree feedback is made

accountable to use it by encouraging him to incorporate feedback
into annual PMS and prepare developmental plans

! Provides opportunities for manager to initiate a dialogue with his

juniors, seniors, internal and external customers or other stakeholders

! Insists on each candidate preparing developmental plans after

receiving feedback, and ensures follow up and implementation
Increasing effectiveness of 360
degree feedback
! Focus on business goals and strategy
! Use it for development and not for pay
! Keep it short simple and to the point
! Give line managers a voice in designing and implementing 360
degree feedback
! Create role models
! Develop art of giving and receiving feedback
! Enforce consequences of continued poor performance
! Use it to celebrate good performance
Increasing effectiveness of 360 degree
feedback
! Make coaching by leaders a part of it
! Make follow up a part
! Monitor, improve and make adjustments: Make sure people eye feedback and
as 360 df yields raw data and info just throwing info won’t lead to improved
performance;
! Insist on an action plan after 360 degree feedback: Organization needs to help
participants accept feedback and translate feedback into actionable steps for
improvement;
! Many people have a very set image of themselves, when feedback from others
clashes with that self-image, people will tent to ignore it; to help employees
and managers accept feedback make sure info is clear and well organised
360 df reported positive changes
! Studies on impact of 360 df are limited;

! Rao suggests follow up study of candidates may be done through

interview or questionnaire (used for feedback)

! Changes were reported by assessors including articulating vision,

enhancing internal customer orientation, change in leadership style

! Both positive and negative changes were observed but changes were
more positive

! Rao and Chawla conducted a follow up study of participants undergoing

360 df and found positive improvement in their professional and personal
life
Other positive results reported

! Better communication (better interactions, enhanced listening skills,

greater frequency of communication with peers/management,
sharing knowledge)
! Improved interpersonal skills
! Subordinate development
! Better time management and work life balance
! Articulating vision, being more involved in company level plans,
values
! Enhanced self-awareness and receptivity to feedback
! Greater confidence cost consciousness, customer orientation, out of
the box thinking, result orientation
Other positive results reported

! Better delegation of tasks

! Leveraging on strengths
! Overall improvement in behaviour towards others
360 Df larger perspective

! Develop leaders
! Retain leaders
! Develop next line
! Keep long term approach on priority
! Develop a culture of dialogue
Key areas where participants were
not able to improve
! Ability to motivate team members more effectively
! Ability to influence top management
! Bring changes in personal attributes
! Being more flexible and open minded
! Conflict management
! Business related skills
! Technological upgradation
! Being more assertive
! Improvement in culture or liaisoning with boss, top management and
subordinate development
Significant changes at organizational level


! Better interpersonal sensitivity and improved relationship at workplace (better

networking, free sharing, enhanced understanding between people, healthy
interaction, greater communication, cross functional synergy)

! Increased receptivity towards feedback

! Better change management

! Improvement in culture of the organization

! Change in leadership styles of individuals

! Focus on innovation
Negative findings

! Tendency to into shell after feedback received

! Barriers in functioning and coordination amongst people at
workplace leading to process and system deviations
! Individuals taking feedback personally
! Using 360 df as an opportunity to settle scores
! Increased suspicion amongst people
! Slow pace of change due to daily work pressure
! Companies usually go for 360 df for select group of senior employees

! 360 df at Moser Baer employed for GM and above as they decide

future growth of organization in short and long run;
Conditions for a successful 360
degree feedback
! CEOs and HR managers do not differentiate or understand the
significance of 360 degree feedback and the turmoil it can
generate

Normally service provider is evaluated in terms of following:

! Cost
! Credibility
! Proximity
! Knowledge, attitude and skills
! experience
Conditions for a successful 360
degree feedback
! Cost: 360 degree feedback facilitator needs to offer services at low cost
by providing the tool, administrating it, collecting data and presenting
the individual feedback with profiles

! Credibility: credibility of service provider would include track record,

confidentiality, ethics and values, knowledge credibility, research and
follow up;
! Proximity: proximate consultant always preferable

! Knowledge, attitude and skills: knowledge is awareness of purpose of

360 df, process of 360 df, application of 360 df, limitations of 360 df,
knowledge of feedback, leadership models, attitude includes
empathy, listening, patience, flexibility while skills include coaching,
follow up and research skills
Conditions for a successful 360
degree feedback
! Experience: experienced facilitator brings lot of lessons from good
practices elsewhere and transmits the same
Thank you