For a 360-degree assessment to commence, the first step is that the organisers thereof must ask themselves; “What are we measuring?” and secondly “To what purpose?” Senior managers, supervisors and general managers would come together to make certain decision in preparation for the 360-degree feedback round.  Guidance from a councillor or an external objective professional will be included in the decision making process. These organisers must be committed to the preparation procedures, management of the process and to the post-feedback development strategies.



The Nightmare Called 360

The reason for pre-planning and preparation is simple. A 360-degree feedback round can be disastrous. Company members may feel threatened by it; scared of criticism and judgemental comments, while they are unsure about who will have access to their report and what the information will be used for. Some may even think that the feedback might be used to determine future retrenchments. Tension, conflict and panic situations in the workplace are the results of poorly prepared 360.

The biggest pitfall in organising a 360-degree round is when the reason for doing it is unclear – especially if it is unclear to those persons responsible for managing the process. Management will need to look at the problems, areas of potential growth, and factors that need attention and improvement. These must be organised specifically to meet your business’s developmental needs. The feedback process must stem from predetermined focus points.

Pinpointing the Company Mission, Culture and Core Values

Senior management must be clear on what they perceive to be the company mission, what they perceive to be good company values, and how the company culture can be defined.

A part of the survey will be allocated to the measuring of values. Do individuals display the behaviours associated with these values, do they prioritise them, and is leadership driven by these values? Narrow the list down to no more than 12 core values and list the behavioural traits relevant to each one. These behaviours will be those daily actions and routines that stem from the values. The resulting outcomes of certain behaviour must be listed as well. Thus, the criteria of measurement will be whether specific behaviours and attitudes work towards exceeding customer expectation or whether they fail to promote customer satisfaction.

Clarify Your Organisation Mission

The mission is a straight forward statement of what your organisation does and what they have on offer. Every member must be clear on the mission, and work towards it. The survey must measure whether the company mission is clearly understood and lived out in practise. Another list of desirable behaviours needs to accompany the mission statement. The assessment will measure the occurrence of these behaviours as well as the lack thereof.

Finally, every organisation adopts a unique culture. This culture determines the shared norm under which persons operate. Good habits and bad habits can evolve in the work environment, for example, the norms associated with dress code, language use, smoke breaks etc.

The decision of who will be giving feedback on who, must be determined in the preparation phase. It is a 360, and so each individual must be assessed by a wide array of people, yet it is still a delicate task to choose the appropriate participants. Choose those who will be able to give proper relevant and honest feedback.

The Push and Pull Routine Between Organisers

Organisers would need to agree on the desirable behaviour and the undesirable behaviour for each company value, cultural element etc. Proof must be provided. Desirable behaviours must have proven to lead to success while the undesirable ones must be proven to lead to stagnation or failure.

There will be, and understandably so, differences in opinion when it comes to behavioural expectations, still it is a responsibility to sort through disagreements. Through a push and pull routine, any values, behaviours and results that cannot be agreed upon cannot enter the survey. An experienced and skilled councillor or HR professional should be present in such a debate in order to lead the discussion to a workable outcome. A consensus must be reached in the end.

Communicating the Process to Company Member

“People tend to be suspicious of things they do not understand” – Sigma Assessment Systems INC.
Staff included in the 360 assessment must be made knowledgably of the purpose, goals and objectives of the feedback procedure. Talks, presentations and booklets will help them to understand why the assessment is being performed. The better understanding they have the more comfortable they will feel about the feedback process.

A great way of getting members involved is by having them help select the survey instrument or help generate specific questions that will measure levels of those characteristics being assessed.

The persons that will be supplying the feedback must be instructed to give feedback that is honest yet discreet, respectful and polite.

The persons that will own an individual’s report in the end must be trustworthy and available to the individual for support and guidance. This will usually be the assessed individual and a select few others in management roles. A concerted effort needs to be put into discussing these reports with individuals in a supportive and sensitive manner and in strict confidentiality. The practical path to development, growth and improvement will be determined in this environment. The constructing of a development action plan for the individual must be a task that includes that individual’s opinion and accommodate his or her feelings.

“[You should] create conditions in which people can express their true thoughts safely and in which those thoughts will be summarized and presented in a supportive, caring, and respectful manner.” – (Scott Wimer and Kenneth M. Nowack, 1998).

Keep in Mind…

Poor organisation results in a problematic 360-degree feedback round. It is extremely difficult to recover from a bad start. Take care in the proper preparation of the assessment round and leave no gaps for obstacles to creep in. Exclusion and communication gaps are breeding grounds for misunderstandings and conflict. Honesty, respect and a concerted team effort are key in the planning of a successful 30-degree feedback round.

This article was inspired by the following books and articles:
•   Best Practise in 360 Degree Feedback by Sigma Assessment Systems INC, n.d.
•    13 Common Mistakes Using a 360-degree Feedback by Scott Wimer and Kenneth M. Nowack, 1998.
•    What is 360-Degree Feedback – The Employee Evaluation Tool by Mark Muller, 2012.



Carla van Straten is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital | Carla@soundidea.co.za | www.soundidea.co.za