Web-based 360 Degree Feedback - The Essence Of Truly Effective Feedback
Some of the first uses of multi-rater feedback date back to the early 60’s and since then over 50% of Fortune 1,000 companies are reputed to be making substantial use of such tools. That, however, does not make it right; nor does it guarantee that any other organization using it will see positive returns. Unfortunately, implementing 360 is easy but implementing an effective process is more challenging and requires far more than mere technology.
Centreus 360TM is Pilat’s world-wide multi-rater feedback bureau service. Through a small number of centers
of excellence, Pilat brings together advice, product, service and assistance to support our clients at every stage in the design,
implementation, integration, follow-through, and post-implementation evaluation process.
This health care organization wished to use 360 feedback as input into its development program for senior managers.
Pilat worked with the client to:
- design the process and communications (the client already had the questionnaire ready). The latter are typically critical to the success of any process (and are, unfortunately, often the cause of its downfall)
- manage all of the feedback collection, compilation and reporting using the Centreus 360TM web-based system
- facilitate the delivery of the feedback to ensure that the recipient:
- engaged with it
- identified and understood the key messages
- determined where to explore further
- selected one or two issues on which to focus
- identified a range of development activity options and crafted a practical and potentially effective plan
- created the necessary triggers and reinforcement mechanisms
- got started and followed through.
Centreus 360TM technology provided this organization with the following web-based services:
- a customized web-site with the look and feel of the client’s own systems and with its own instructions and Help & Information
- a process tailored to the client’s own needs
- the Pilat Account Manager was advised the identities of the participants (feedback recipients) and launched them into a fully web-enabled process
- the Centreus 360TM system automatically e-mailed them with the web-site, instructions, Help Desk details,
etc.
- all access was controlled using single unique username and a password for each user
- participants completed a self assessment, nominated their providers, and could track the numbers (not identities) of providers completing their questionnaires
- each participant’s manager was automatically e-mailed with a list of the providers their subordinate had nominated, enabling them to ask the participant to add more, if needed, to secure a balanced set of feedback
- each nominated provider was automatically e-mailed to advise her/him to access the site to provide feedback. Full details were provided there to explain the process, the importance of providing constructive and actionable feedback, etc.
- providers completed the assessments they were asked to complete and, while the process was open, could revisit and adjust their feedback
- on entering a set of feedback (self assessment or provider assessment), the pattern of ratings was automatically analyzed
by the Centreus 360TM system comparing the data to known use of rating scales within the organization. An array
of possible messages was then passed back to the person submitting the data. These all started with:
“Thank you for this submission. The data will be stored and used at the appropriate time.”
and ended with:
“Click HERE if you wish to view the feedback you have just submitted.”
Depending on the patterns detected in the data, a number of additional messages were also included such as:
“The average rating is relatively high and potentially places the individual in the top 10% of all employees. Is he/she really that good?”
“You have made relatively narrow use of the rating scale. This will make it hard for the recipient to identify his/her perceived relative strengths and limitations. Are you sure that he/she does no have any more clearly identifiable relative strengths and limitations?”
- participants and providers were automatically chased by the Centreus 360TM system using e-mail if appropriate
- reports were produced in hard copy
(PDF and web-download options are also available)
- aggregate data analyses were completed to provide internal comparative data as well as to study the performance of the questionnaires and process
- an additional analysis was undertaken to identify further details about individuals’ rating patterns and/or biases; and to give them feedback accordingly.
Results:
Users expressed the view that the Centreus 360TM system and process was extremely easy and quick to use. As a result,
response rates were very high.
Users started to contact HR to ask such questions as, “The 360 system said that I was not differentiating well. I realized that I don’t really know what good Planning looks like. Is there any training that can assist me?” This was the first time that HR had received requests of this nature.
Individuals expressed the view that the process was one of their most influential experiences and that it had made a major contribution to their personal development and helping them to identify not only areas of development, but even their career aspirations.
HR realized that, while their competency model was academically robust, the use of the rater feedback, and the response that it triggered, showed them that raters did not understand what good performance really looked like. Two actions came out of this:
- Pilat worked with them on the competency model and reworded it in more down to earth, every day terms that everyone could understand and would probably use on a day to day basis.
- Pilat worked with them on rewording the 360 questionnaire.
- HR developed a series of sessions through which individuals learned how to observe behavior and assess it against a common scale.
The organization is now moving their use of technology beyond Centreus 360TM to include Succession Planning and Development
Management.
