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360 Degree Feedback Surveys and Customized Questions
Download a sample 360 Degree Feedback Survey to see how to measure the most important leadership competencies. DecisionWise 360 surveys include a unique Derailer section to identify those behaviors that undermine a leader’s effectiveness. Need to create competencies? We specialize in developing relevant leadership competencies for your organization and building 360 surveys to measure them.
Coaching on 360 Feedback Survey Results
People are often surprised by feedback they receive on the 360 survey. It can be an emotional process. We may miss the overall message being sent by the feedback. It is critical for the participant to talk through the results with their manager or a coach to create a personal action plan. DecisionWise provides expert coaching, or can show your team how to debrief survey results and coach internally. 360 degree feedback creates self-awareness; coaching helps participants use this new information to change.
How 360 Degree Feedback Surveys Work
DecisionWise makes the 360 degree feedback process safe and easy to administer. Our assessment advisors will guide you along the way. They will help show you the benefits of 360 degree feedback and handle all of the complex logistics of survey administration. We suggest, or develop, the survey, create the timeline, manage rater lists, send out reminders, and generate the reports so you can focus on what is important; creating personal development and change. The DecisionWise 360 degree feedback tool provides you visibility into the survey administration process. You can select, modify, and approve both participants and raters on the redesigned interface.
More on 360-degree Feedback and DecisionWise
What is 360 Degree Feedback
360 degree feedback is a development process that provides a safe environment for a person to receive candid feedback from peers, supervisors, subordinates, and other individuals with relationships key to his or her success.
What is the History of 360 Degree Feedback
Perhaps surprisingly, 360 feedback has been in use since 1940, and has evolved to become a very effective management tool in employee development. 360 feedback grew out of the use of a training method called “T-groups” or training groups where participants met with their peers who were encouraged to share feedback in an open session facilitated by a trained moderator. 360-degree feedback was a difficult process to administer for early adopters because of the time and effort needed to collect paper forms, collate the data, and produce a summary report. These obstacles were overcome with advances in technology that now allow the entire process to be conducted online increasing confidentiality and greatly speeding up the process. Today, about one third of all companies and 90 percent of of Fortune 500 companies use some type of 360-degree feedback.
How Does the 360 Feedback Process Work
The term “360” refers to the degrees of a circle, with an individual figuratively in the center of the circle. Feedback about a person’s behaviors and performance is provided by subordinates, peers, and supervisors. 360-degree feedback also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources, such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders. Most participants will receive feedback from a total of eight to 15 people. Raters should only be those that have a close working relationship with the participant.
What is a 360 Feedback Survey
The survey normally includes between 40-80 questions that measure a series of competencies and behaviors most important to an organization or to an individual’s success. Competencies may include: Communication, Teamwork, Results Orientation, Planning and Organization, etc. Raters are asked to rate the participant on each statement (behavior descriptors) using a Likert scale (5-point or 7-point scales). 360 feedback surveys typically include open-ended questions to collect qualitative feedback. The surveys take between 8-15 minutes to complete depending on length.
Can I Customize the 360 Degree Feedback Questions
Yes, DecisionWise can work with you to customize your 360 feedback questions. We map our questions to your leadership competencies, giving you the best survey for your culture. Not interested in customizing, use one of our standard surveys for executive leaders, business leaders, team leaders, or individual contributors.
How Are 360 Degree Feedback Results Shown in a Report
The results collected from the survey are summarized into an individual report. The scores are separated by the different rater groups (self, manager, peers, direct reports, etc.). Only the self-scores and the results from the participant’s manager are broken out individually. Scores from peers and direct reports are averaged together as separate groups to protect confidentiality. The report normally shows summary results for each competency. The most significant insight is found by comparing self-perceptions to the perceptions of others. An individual is able to clearly see his or her strengths and areas for development. Open-ended comments are randomized and listed verbatim.
What is 360 Degree Feedback Coaching
When an individual receives his or her feedback report, he or she is typically provided some type of coaching to analyze the report, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and develop an action plans. A 360-degree feedback coaching session is a one-on-one meeting with a trained facilitator that lasts approximately 60-90 minutes. The result of the meeting is the creation of a personal development plan that the participant shares with his or her manager. DecisionWise research (as well as supporting academic studies) has found that those individuals who receive some type of coaching on their feedback, and set goals for development, experience significantly greater improvement than those who simply participate in the process and receive their reports.
As organizations rely more heavily on teamwork, cooperation, and communication to improve productivity, 360 degree feedback has become an increasingly useful tool.