Bulgarian
English
Approximate reading time: 6m 27s
Assessments are given by several different stakeholders – manager, colleague, subordinate, client, supplier, etc. A mandatory condition is that the people who will evaluate the employee must have some form of working relationship with him/her. Different perspectives help form a combined and balanced assessment.
360-degree feedback is aimed at assessing skills that will support both the individual development of the employee and the development of the organization. Such skills, for example, are: leadership skills, teamwork skills, communication skills, etc. By receiving feedback, the employee will not only understand how colleagues assess his or her abilities, but also what his or her strengths and weaknesses are, and how productivity can be increased.
360-degree feedback identifies development opportunities, helps create an action plan, and indicates the resources and tools that need to be provided so that employees can focus on their long-term career development.
360-degree feedback focuses on the following areas:
• Determining a starting point for developing new skills.
• Measuring progress as the employee works on improving their skills over time.
• Identifying weak points in behavior and the influence the employee has, but which has never been given attention.
What does 360-degree feedback measure?
With 360-degree feedback you can:
• Measure behaviors and skills.
• Find out what others think about the specific employee's skills.
• Target specific skills, such as teamwork, active listening, planning, etc..
What does 360-degree feedback not assess?
• It is not a way to measure employee performance.
• It is not a way to determine whether a given employee meets the basic requirements of the position.
• It does not focus on technical skills or those related to specific work duties.
• It should not be used to measure specific things, such as sales, for example.
Who should not receive 360-degree feedback?
Before deciding whether to organize 360-degree feedback for a given employee, consider the following questions:
• Does the employee have the time and energy to develop their business and personal skills?
• How has the employee responded to feedback so far?
• Has the employee recently received feedback from their manager?
• Has the employee been on the job long enough to receive adequate feedback?
Advantages
• 360-degree feedback is realistic, because it comes from many sides.
• It helps employees start working better together.
• It supports personal development, as well as that of the organization.
• Organizations show that they care about the career development of their employees.
• Discrimination is reduced, since feedback comes from different individuals, with different functions, of different ages, different genders, etc.
• It improves customer service.
• It helps determine the organization's educational needs – training, seminars, etc. can be planned.
Roles and responsibilities
There are usually 3-4 roles in 360-degree feedback. It is important that all participants understand their own role and responsibilities so that the process can be completed successfully.
The roles are as follows:
• Administrator
• Evaluated employee
• Manager
• Evaluators
Administrator
The administrator is the person who will conduct the survey. Keep in mind that the manager of the evaluated employee should not be the administrator. The administrator should be someone who is familiar with the current issues, but is not emotionally involved in the case. In most cases, such a person can be found in the Human Resources department. It can also be an external consultant who specializes in 360-degree surveys and personal development.
Main responsibilities:
If you are the administrator of 360-degree surveys:
• Explain the goals and benefits of the survey to everyone who will take part in it.
• Explain the process to them as well.
• Administer the collection of feedback.
• Consult the manager of the evaluated employee so that the latter can better understand the results and what actions need to be taken after the survey ends.
• Present and discuss the results with the evaluated employee.
• Create a plan and help provide the necessary resources so the evaluated employee can improve their skills.
Evaluated employee
The evaluated employee must understand that the people asked to give feedback are providing constructive criticism. Their observations will help them understand the difference between how they see themselves and how their colleagues see them.
Here are some guidelines to consider if you will be evaluated with 360-degree feedback:
• People are evaluating you, not criticizing you. They are providing you with constructive feedback.
• Feedback is neither right nor wrong. It is simply feedback.
• You do not have to change anything after the feedback. Of course, if you do not make changes, you will not acquire new skills or achieve better results, but that is your choice.
• You may need to do a self-assessment. This is done in order to identify differences between your self-assessment and the assessment of other participants in the survey.
• You will learn what things you can change and which of your skills you need to develop in order to achieve the career development you want.
• Be prepared to hear surprising opinions. Some of them may even make you angry, but that is a completely normal reaction.
Evaluators
Evaluators are usually between 4 and 10 people (excluding the manager) who will answer questions prepared by the administrator and related to the evaluated employee. Evaluators should have some form of working relationship with the evaluated employee – colleague, person from the same team, client, supplier, etc..
Responsibilities of evaluators
If you are an evaluator, you should keep the following in mind:
• Answer the questions honestly and constructively.
• Your answers may be anonymous.
• If the feedback is in the form of a survey, consider the open-ended questions carefully.
Manager
The manager's feedback is usually considered separately, as the perspective is completely different. The main thing they should keep in mind is that they should not evaluate job performance, but the employee's skills.
After the survey ends, the manager and the administrator will discuss a plan for developing and improving the employee's skills.
The manager must provide the necessary support – through resources, coaching, encouragement, and recognition.
Best practices
When creating questions for 360-degree feedback, you should keep the following best practices in mind:
• Do not include questions evaluating the employee's technical skills. They cannot be measured through a 360-degree survey.
• Focus on the employee's habits and skills, not on their personal qualities.
• Choose the right questions. Include open-ended questions such as: „What are the things that X should stop doing?“, „What are the things that X should start doing differently?“, „What are the things that X should continue doing?“.
• Focus your survey on a small group of skills.
• Achieve a balance between the number of open-ended questions and skill-rating questions.
• For skill-rating questions, use a scale from 1 to 5. It is well known to everyone and easy to understand.
Creating 360-degree feedback
Step 1: Meet with the evaluated employee.
First, you need to make sure that the evaluated employee understands the process and how they can use the feedback received.
Step 2: Talk to the evaluated employee's manager.
Once you have a basic idea of the evaluated employee's expectations, it is time to meet with their manager.
Managers often have their own goals for the evaluated employee. Discuss these goals and the manager's expectations for the feedback, and make sure they are appropriate for a 360-degree survey. If they are not, it may be better to choose another form of structured feedback.
Step 3: Send out the survey.
The most commonly used way to conduct 360-degree feedback is through an online survey. At the beginning of the survey, introduce yourself and explain the process again. Encourage evaluators to provide constructive feedback and examples.
Step 4: Review the data and prepare a report.
You should review all responses and comments for each evaluated employee and prepare a report that synthesizes the most important points from the feedback. If a response makes a particularly strong impression on you, you can invite the evaluator to a meeting and discuss the matter in more detail.
Always paraphrase all comments rather than displaying them directly. Tell the evaluated employee that they have been paraphrased. This way, they will not waste time wondering who said what.
What should you do after the survey ends?
Meet with the evaluated employee's manager and make sure they understand the future action plan. Make sure they also have all the necessary resources to help the employee.
The evaluated employee should accept the feedback and decide what to change and what not to change.
Everyone should keep in mind that skill development does not happen during the survey, but afterward, and it takes time.
What questions should you include in your survey?
If you want to create your own 360-degree survey, you can include questions on the following topics:
• Leadership skills (Delegation, responsibility, vision, active listening, coaching, decision-making, change management, risk management).
• Communication skills (Active listening, conversation skills, negotiation skills, giving and receiving feedback).
• Teamwork skills (Active listening, asking questions, helping, responsibility, giving feedback).
• Organizational skills (Project management, time management, logistics, attention to detail).
• Creativity (Problem solving, problem identification, brainstorming, networking).
• Personal skills (Empathy, self-confidence, stress management, positive attitude, teamwork, enthusiasm).
Make sure that before you start measuring a given skill, you need to be clear about what success looks like and what resources you can provide so that the evaluated employee can develop.
Sample questions for 360-degree feedback
Business insight
1. Is familiar with the latest trends and is advancing in their field of work.
2. Shows a clear understanding of the factors that influence the company's success.
3. Is respected as a talented and knowledgeable person in his/her field of work.
4. Sets clear directions for team development that are directly linked to the organization's strategy.
Decision-making
1. Makes decisions that clearly show understanding of the overall goals.
2. Considers several sources of information before making a decision.
3. Makes timely decisions.
4. Shows good judgment and common sense when making decisions.
Planning and organizing
1. Sets short-term goals that align with the organization's long-term strategy.
2. Breaks down large projects into smaller, easy-to-complete tasks.
3. Manages their time well.
4. Keeps people focused on the organization's key initiatives and priorities.
Integrity and trust
1. X is characterized by the following qualities – honesty, reliability, ethics.
2. Fulfills promises.
3. Takes responsibility for their own actions.
4. Sets a good example for others.
Services
NIT - New Internet Technologies Ltd. offers 360-degree surveys.
If you are interested in our services or have additional questions, you can contact us at tel.: +359 878 685 304, e-mail: office@nitbg.com or by filling out the contact form below.
