Part 2 of 3
Running a survey well
Part 2 of the Org360 feedback guide covers the practical steps of running a feedback survey: how many people to ask, how often to ask them, how to run the survey and how to read the report. The steps apply to 360 feedback, employee engagement surveys and client surveys alike. Part 1 sets out the principles behind them.
In short
- Invite 5 to 8 raters per rater group in a 360, so that at least 3 in each group reply. Below 3 replies, individual answers can be traced.
- Run a survey only as often as you can act on it. For a 360: a baseline, a check around month 6, then yearly. For engagement: every few months, fixing 3 priorities each round.
- A survey takes about 3 weeks from start to finish and 2 to 3 hours of work for the person running it. Respondents spend under 10 minutes.
- Read a report in order: who answered, the summary, the scores, the self-other gaps, the lowest items, then the comments.
- Pick 3 priorities that show up in both scores and comments, matter for your role now, and can be acted on in the next few months.
What is the feedback cycle?
Org360 defines the feedback cycle as 4 repeating steps: run a short survey, pick 3 priorities, act on them, then survey again to check what changed. Each article in part 2 covers one part of that cycle.
The articles in part 2
- 6How many raters do you need for a 360 survey?Invite 5 to 8 per rater group, so at least 3 reply. Fewer than 3 replies breaks confidentiality.
- 7How often should you run a 360 or engagement survey?As often as you can act: for a 360, a baseline, month 6, then yearly; for engagement, every few months.
- 8How to run a feedback survey, step by step7 steps over about 3 weeks, for a company of 50 to 200 people with no training team.
- 9How to read a 360 report and pick your 3 prioritiesA walk through Org360's sample report: the scores, the radar, self-other gaps and comment themes.
Key terms in part 2
- Feedback cycle: run a short survey, pick 3 priorities, act on them, then survey again to check what changed.
- Rater group: a set of raters who share the same working relationship with the person being reviewed, such as manager, peers or direct reports.
- Confidentiality threshold: the minimum number of replies a survey needs before results can be shown. Org360 uses 3 in Standard mode and 5 in Highest mode.
- Response rate: the share of invited people who reply.
- Pulse survey: a very short survey, often an eNPS question and 1 or 2 open-text questions, run between full surveys.
- Always-on survey: a survey that stays open and collects responses continuously, such as a client satisfaction survey sent after each project.
See all definitions in the glossary and the research behind part 2.