Part 3 · Article 10 of 14
What is 360-degree feedback?
In short
- 360-degree feedback is a confidential survey about one person, answered by the people they work with.
- Raters usually include the person's manager, peers, direct reports and sometimes clients, plus the person's own self-rating.
- A 360 measures observable behavior at work, such as how someone communicates, delegates or follows through.
- Org360 360s have 12 or 24 questions, and the person who launches the 360 owns the report.
Org360 defines 360-degree feedback as a confidential survey in which a person receives ratings and comments on how they work from the people around them, such as their manager, peers, direct reports and clients, alongside their own self-rating. The name comes from the full circle of perspectives: above, beside and below.
How does a 360 work?
- The person, or someone on their behalf, chooses a survey and invites raters.
- Raters answer scored questions and a few open-text questions, confidentially.
- The person rates themselves on the same questions.
- The report compares self-ratings with others' ratings and sums up the comments.
- The person picks a few priorities and works on them.
Part 2 covers each step in detail: how many raters to invite (article 6), how often to run a 360 (article 7), how to run it (article 8) and how to read the report (article 9).
Who rates whom in a 360?
- Self: the person rates themselves, so the report can show self-other gaps.
- Manager: usually 1 person, so this rating is rarely anonymous.
- Peers: colleagues at a similar level who work with the person regularly.
- Direct reports: the people the person manages. This group gives "upward feedback".
- Others: clients, partners or people from other teams.
Each group sees a different side of how someone works. A manager may never see how a person runs a team meeting. Direct reports see it every week.
What does a 360 measure?
A 360 measures behavior other people can observe: how someone listens, gives direction, shares information, delegates, handles pressure and follows through on commitments. It measures how a person is experienced at work. It says nothing about their personality, intelligence or worth.
Most 360s group their questions into areas, often called competencies or dimensions. Org360's full 360 covers 7 areas with 3 questions each. The short version covers 3 areas (article 1).
Where did 360 feedback come from?
Multi-rater feedback has military roots. Around 1930, the German military psychologist Johann Baptist Rieffert developed a selection method for officer candidates that drew on several observers. One of the earliest recorded business uses came at the Esso Research and Engineering Company in the 1950s. Multi-rater feedback spread widely in the 1990s, and online tools made it much easier to run.
How is a 360 different from upward or peer feedback?
- Upward feedback comes only from direct reports.
- Peer feedback comes only from colleagues at a similar level.
- A 360 combines several groups, usually including both of the above.
What the research says
- Feedback helps on average, and often doesn't. DeNisi and Kluger (2000) reviewed the evidence and concluded that "feedback is not always as effective as is typically assumed." They found that many 360 systems have design features that reduce their effectiveness, and they recommended ways to fix them.
- Change after a 360 is real but modest. Smither, London and Reilly's (2005) meta-analysis of 24 longitudinal studies found small average improvement after 360 feedback, and larger improvement when people saw a need to change, set goals and took action.
Key readings: DeNisi and Kluger (2000); Smither, London and Reilly (2005). Full references are in the research reading list.
Org360's view
Org360 sees 360 feedback as one of the most useful development tools a person can have, on 3 conditions: the survey is short, the person who asked owns the report, and respondents can't be identified. Part 1 explains why each condition matters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 360 mean in 360 feedback?
The full circle of people around you at work: your manager above, peers beside, direct reports below, and others such as clients.
Is 360 feedback anonymous?
It's confidential. Answers are pooled so nobody can see who said what, except usually the manager's rating, since most people have 1 manager (article 3).
How long does a 360 take?
An Org360 360 takes raters 5 to 10 minutes, and the whole process takes about 3 weeks (article 8).
Who should see a 360 report?
In Org360, the person who launched the 360, unless they choose to share it (article 2).
Sources: Wikipedia: 360-degree feedback (history) · DeNisi and Kluger (2000), abstract