The new phenomenon in the business world related to employee development is the 360-degree evaluation. This process of getting feedback from not only supervisors (as was traditionally done) but from colleagues and subordinates is becoming critical to the success of the company and individuals at all levels in the organization. Particularly for the purposes of this discussion, it is extremely relevant to leader (and leadership) development.
Before I delve into this topic, it is important however to know that though these two terms are sometimes synonymous, Velsor and McCauley point out in “Our View of Leadership Development,” that they in fact are quite different. Leader development is related to the growth of an individual’s capability to be more effective when placed in a leadership role (2). Whereas leadership development is the growth of an organization’s capability to establish the basic leadership tasks needed for successful, cohesive work—thus outside the realm of both the individual and the traditional managerial hierarchy (18). I wanted to clarify this distinction because the use of a 360 evaluation model is not just for developing individuals for the sake of personal growth, but also for the benefit of the whole—the cornerstone of organization leadership approaches.
There are six ‘best practices’ related to the 360 evaluation which organizations should be aware of in order to make this an effective exercise. One of the key elements for successful use of the 360 model pointed out by Rogers, Rogers & Metlay in their article, “Improving the Payoff from 360-Degree Feedback,” is for companies to focus the 360 evaluation questions specifically in relation to the competencies needed for each unique job—thus no two positions will have the same competency-based questionnaire (48-9). This is substantiated from data collected by the authors related to the ultimate benefit of a 360 evaluation by looking at companies who did versus those who did not use this and other ‘best practice’ techniques. Some of the other elements that the authors focus on are to: carefully select the participants; closely direct the feedback process; establish training programs for employees; and conduct an evaluation at the end of the process so to conclude the business advantage of the exercise (45). With focus on these areas, the use of the 360-degree evaluation has great potential to not only be advantageous for the individuals but is sure to increase productivity and long-term success of the organization.
As leaders move through the many passages, as discussed in my previous post, the use of a 360 evaluation can be critical to their success. Many people are not aware of their lax in certain competencies that are necessary for their leadership growth. This feedback from all areas of one’s professional interactions—supervisors, colleagues and subordinates—is sure to benefit them because this fresh look at their strengths and short-comings will help them to readily focus their own personal leader development.
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Colleen this was an incredibly informative blog. The 360-degree feedback is an incredibly useful tool if done properly. Many organizations are using this tool for development. I think you are right that if an organization uses the 360-degree feedback, they should know what the organization needs it for. Are they looking to develop leaders within the organization or are they wanting to have each individual develop their own leadership competencies? The organization must know what they want to accomplish from the 360 and then customize it to fit their needs. In order to do this, there must be education and training provided to those who are designing it to assure that the 360 is valid. If the test is not designed properly the results may not be valid.
ReplyDeleteI do fear that some organizations may only view this tool as a benefit for themselves and not for the individuals. I believe the main purpose of the 360-degree should be to develop individuals and their competencies. This is turn will lead to improvement within the organization. If an organization only concentrates on what the organization itself needs, it loses sight of the importantance of the people and how much value they add to the organization. So it is essential to use the 360 feedback as a tool for individual development.
The information you presented in regards to the six passages a leader goes through was a great way to link the two. I think feedback is critical to have no matter what position you hold. Everyone needs to be given feedback on how well they are doing and what things they can use improvement on. This tool can provide those things as long as it is used properly.
The only other suggestion I have for you is I would like to know what experiences you have had with 360. Have you ever done a 360 in your workplace? What was your opinion? Was it useful? What types of feedback have you been given and how well did they convey your skills and competencies at work? As always, your blogs are incredibly informative and I enjoy reading them.
360 feedback's make individuals are better able to manage their careers, and they gain quantifiable data on interpersonal and leadership skills, 360 degree feedback system
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