About 360 Degree Feedback

In human resources, 360-degree feedback, also known as 'multi-rater', 'multisource', or 'multisource assessment', is employee development feedback that comes from all around the employee.

"360" refers to the number of degrees in a circle. The responses could come, therefore, from subordinates, peers, and managers in the organisation. Most of these tools are also responded to by each individual in a self assessment. In some cases external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders may also be included.

There was a study conducted to assess the effectiveness of raters and the length of time they have known the candidate.

Read more here 360 may be contrasted with upward feedback, where managers are given reviews by their direct reports, or a traditional performance appraisal, where the employees are most often reviewed only by their manager.

The results from this process are often used by the person receiving the data to plan their training and development. The results are also used by some organizations for making promotional or pay decisions, which is sometimes called "360-degree review."

Read why good feedback - including 360 - can make a difference.

There are lots of pluses and minuses and as many supporters as detractors for this process and how best to implement it in any organisation.

The 1999 State of the Industry Report, from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), reviewed the training practices of more than 750 firms. Fifty-five firms, described by ASTD as leading edge in their training approaches, rely heavily on employee feedback, including 360 and peer review, for individual development plans and annual performance reviews.

Seventy-five percent of these companies provided individual development plans, and 33 percent provided 360 degree feedback for most of their employees in 1998, compared to 50 percent and 10 percent in 1997, according to the ASTD.

Great care should be taken when about to implement such a system. Read more here

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