7 compelling reasons to run a 360-degree feedback programme

360 degree feedback is widely considered to be an extremely effective tool for helping people develop.

Unlike traditional feedback from a line manager, 360-feedback from a variety of people offers a more balanced perspective on how a person is performing and how they can improve. 360 feedback can also help build a strong employer employee relationship and improve individual performance.

Still need convincing?

Here are 7 reasons why high performing organisations love 360 feedback.

1. Culture starts at the top

The more senior a person becomes in an organisation, the more influence they have, not just on the strategic direction of the company, but on its culture and values: as they say, people follow by example. Understanding and improving leadership behaviour should be a top priority, however leaders typically receive less feedback and have fewer performance reviews than their more junior colleagues. A values-based 360 is one of the best ways to bring company values to life, as it gives leaders the opportunity to reflect on how they live the values, to understand how their style of leadership might be impacting engagement, and to make commitments to any changes in their approach that might be needed. This means they can more effectively and genuinely lead (culture) by example.

2. Get people talking in the right way

360-degree-feedback provides everyone in your organisation with an opportunity to provide structured feedback within a framework. It lessens the risk of unscheduled, derogatory outbursts and inter-team conflict and focuses the mind on constructive feedback for the greater good of the organisation.

3. Deliver some feel-good feedback

We’re all very quick to recognise and critique our own weaknesses, but rarely if ever do we give ourselves a pat on the back and recognise our strengths. 360-degree-feedback is designed to do just that and because the feedback is provided by the people we work closely with every day, it is guaranteed to deliver a more accurate representation. Understanding and acknowledging your strengths is an empowering experience which will improve confidence and could influence how you move forward in your career.

4. Fix key areas for everyone’s benefit

Of course, 360-degree-feedback is not just about giving each other hi-fives and patting each other on the back. It’s also about asking the question – “where can I improve and what do I need to do to improve”. Positive identification of weaknesses enables employees and line managers to plot a direction for future learning.

5. Get a great view of team dynamics

A key strength of 360-degree-feedback is that managers do not have to rely solely on their own observations and opinions. By taking feedback across the whole team, it’s possible to get a much better understanding of the team’s strengths and weaknesses. It allows each team member to share their views on what it’s like to work with their colleagues and to identify specific opportunities for improvement. The line manager can then facilitate improvements for the benefit of the whole team. Similarly, if expectations between team members seem unrealistic, the feedback opens up dialogue to discuss common ground and agree a route forward.

6. Improve customer service

360-feedback doesn’t just have to be from fellow team members. It could be from other departments which you provide a service to or even from customers. Feedback in this way can help to drive service and quality improvements.

7. 360-feedback tools are simple to set up and quick to deliver value

The good news is 360-feedback systems are simple to set up and deliver. They should be fast and easily deployable via desktop or mobile, with helpdesk manned by experienced managers. This gives all employees an intuitive user experience, with outputs to really help managers and their people have meaningful development conversations.

So 360-degree-feedback helps leaders, delivers a structure, gets teams working and can even help customer service. For younger generations of workers 360 feedback is also an effective, relevant way to support their development and provide meaningful feedback.