Using 360° Feedback Surveys to Identify Training and Development Needs


By John J. White


A 360° feedback survey is a tool used by an organisation to evaluate an employee’s performance and development needs. It is aimed at providing individuals and groups with information regarding their strengths and development or training needs. Feedback is gathered from an employee’s co-workers, managers, direct reports, customers and others using a questionnaire covering areas such as competencies, skills or abilities and job performance. The data gathered is then compiled into a report showing the employee’s strengths and weaknesses according to the people they work closest with.

Because the feedback is gathered from multiple sources, employees find the results of 360° feedback surveys more compelling than a traditional evaluation by a single supervisor or manager; and as the questionnaires are confidential, more honest and open feedback is generated. As a result the employee benefits from better self-awareness and the organisation benefits from clear focus as to individual and group development needs.

This focus will directly lead to a more cost effective use of development resources and improved performance. Indeed the same 360° questionnaire can be re-administered after 9 to 12 months to evaluate the effectiveness of training and development by measuring the individual’s improvement. 360° feedback can also dramatically contribute to and enhance an organisation’s performance management process

As a starting point for implementing a 360° feedback survey an organisation will identify the individuals to participate and decide on the competencies and job performance to be measured. The flexibility of the process allows an organisation to conduct assessments for any job, not just management, and within any function or level.

Traditionally many surveys have been administered by using paper questionnaires; however more and more a web-based system is being used to help ease of completion and reduce administration time and costs. A good 360° system will allow total flexibility for the organisation who may want to use a ‘standard’ questionnaire (useful for comparing employees with those from other organisations), elaborate on certain competencies or behaviours, create new ones or use their existing competency or measurement framework.

Often an organisation will use an external consultancy to help prepare, launch and administrate a 360° feedback survey. Employees will feel a greater degree of confidentiality when they know that questionnaires are being processed externally and will engage in the feedback gained in a much more positive manner.

The most important factor to remember about using 360° feedback surveys is that they are only a first step in a process of dialogue. Whilst the survey will collect valuable data, the essential part of the process comes later in sharing the feedback gained, making development plans and actually undertaking training and development activities.

John White is a Director of IntegrateHR Limited, a Human Resource Consultancy that focuses on helping client organisations measure and evaluate their executives, managers and employees. The firm also provides the online 360° feedback system “Integrate360”.


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Management Information:

Related Articles


Innovation Management - some ideas are better than others
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation.
Train Me -- But Follow Through
My mechanic has me trained. When I take my car in for an oil change, he places a sticker in the upper left hand corner of my windshield to remind me what date and mileage I should have my next maintenance completed.
You Cant Not Communicate
Most of us would like to be better communicators. As leaders, co-workers, team members and in all of the other roles we play both professionally and personally, we know that communication is a major key to success.
Influencing the Organisation
There is a saying about management that suggests some managers are so focussed on the details of a business, that when the Titanic was sinking those particular managers were still straightening chairs in the dining room. Whether we love 'em or hate 'em, managers are here to stay, and their job is fundamentally to manage the resources within an organisation for optimum efficiency and effectiveness, and by doing so to achieve the organisation's goals.
CEOs Are Great, Top CEOs Are Greater
People in leading positions are often in a dilemma: on one hand they are supposed to give great performances, make the right decisions and so forth; on the other hand, they have to fill the role of a very confident and self-assured manager. This may be considered a dilemma because CEOs are expected to be almost supernatural, and asking for assistance in what is supposed to be their core competence (leadership!) simply does not fit the picture, no matter how necessary it may be.
Too Much Time Treating Symptoms
A man drives down the highway each day on his way to work. On Monday he gets a flat tire.
Operating on Perpetual Overload?
Check Out Your E-HabitsAnother week has ended. And, despite moving at the speed of light, you've once again barely made a dent in your more important goals or projects.
Four Steps to Better Performance Reviews
Direct reports-people who need direction and leadership-rely on their leaders to give them feedback and mentoring, not just management and evaluations. However, these people who most need their boss's help frequently lack the guidance that would enable them move to the next levels of success-theirs, their team's and the company's.
Crisis Management Tips
The term crisis management has different connotations. In this article, I will try to provide pointers that can be used in most situations:Is It A Crisis In The First Place?:This question is important to ask, as there are many situations that go wrong because the right person to handle it is not around.
No Time to Focus on the Big Picture? Try Focus Management
E-mail, voicemail, "got a minute?" interruptions, multiple projects and competing priorities. Whether it is in work or in life, we all understand the importance of "seeing the forest for the trees.
Why Your Company Needs An E-Mail Policy
Everyone at the office thought that using the company e-mail system to share jokes and funny stories was great fun. That is, until one offended employee decided to sue his employer for having helped to create a hostile work environment.
Necessary Tasks You May Want to Delegate
As a business owner, time is of the essence. Running a business is demanding.
Time Management Tip: Stop Micro-Managing Employees
If I was a fly on the wall what would I hear your employees say? Would it something like this? "They won't allow me to make even the simplest decisions." "The red tape here makes it very difficult for me to do my job.
Relationship Building - 5 Tips and 5 Questions
And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on people, who they are and what interests them. And that's just where you spend your time.
Managing Workplace Conflicts
Kinds of Workplace ConflictsLet's start by identifying where conflicts happen. Think about the kinds of conflicts that happen around your workplace.
Einstein - Definition of Insanity
Insanity in the Sign & Graphics IndustryEinstein's DefinitionAlbert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself, does this quote apply to the way you run your company?Have you been doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? If so, then you might want to keep on reading.
Training and ROI (Return On Investment)
Statistics consistently reinforce that the biggest challenge in today's contact center environment is agent training. Turnover continues to be high; new hire costs are on the rise--$6500 per agent! At the same time, losing customers because of bad call experiences negatively impacts your bottom line.
Coaching Champions at Work
I saw Brian Kerr (the Irish national football coach) on television not so long ago and it reminded me of a platform I shared with him at a Banking Institute seminar in Dublin. Whilst I was waiting for my turn I listened to Brian and experienced two emotions - admiration and jealousy.
Leadership in Troubled Times
Leadership in Troubled Times The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive. - Joe BattenLeading an organization can be challenging, even when times are good.
Unravelling the Data Mining Mystery - The Key to Dramatically Higher Profits
Data mining is the art of extracting nuggets of gold from a set of seeminngly meaningless and random data. For the web, this data can be in the form of your server hit log, a database of visitors to your website or customers that have actually purchased from your web site at one time or another.