FAQ 360° Feedback

What is 360° feedback?

360° feedback is a development tool in the form of an evaluation questionnaire. Its purpose is to assess an employee's skills in terms of communication, listening, management, leadership, etc. The topics covered in the 360° assessment are naturally linked to relevant skills chosen in advance in line with the company's culture. This questionnaire is sent to everyone in the immediate work environment (superiors, managers, colleagues, staff, etc.) as well as the person being assessed (self-diagnosis), with the aim of obtaining a complete and accurate picture of their professional profile.

What is 360° feedback used for?

The 360° feedback evaluation report makes it easy to identify opportunities for development and improvement, and gives everyone the chance to become aware of their strengths and areas for improvement. All this helps each employee and manager to draw up a concrete and sustainable daily action plan for improvement. A tool such as the 360° appraisal can be used in all sectors of the company and at all hierarchical levels.

How do you get 360° feedback?

There are several major stages in the implementation of 360° feedback:

1. Communicate the process clearly, precisely and transparently so that every employee understands every stage.
2. Define the skills repository, the rating scale and free comment spaces, or use a generic questionnaire that matches the company's requirements.
3. Discuss the anonymous status of the process, bearing in mind that confidentiality is generally a key factor in success.
4. Send the 360° questionnaire to everyone concerned.
5. Report results and analyse according to the assessment criteria selected.
6. Debrief with the appraisee, listening sympathetically and without judgement.
7. Identify the strengths and limitations of 360° feedback using an interactive report.
8. Gradually guide towards an action plan to develop the employee's skills and improve their soft skills.
9. Repeat the operation regularly to ensure complete monitoring and measure improvements over time.

Why is 360° feedback important?

360° feedback offers a number of advantages for both the company and the employee being assessed. First of all, it helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each employee or manager, since they are assessed from different angles. It then becomes easier to develop solutions to overcome weaknesses, through training or coaching for example. What's more, the global aspect of the 360° evaluation means that the results are unbiased and that a multitude of opinions can be gathered to optimise management. It is also rare for employees to take the time to congratulate each other in a company. 360° feedback also provides an opportunity to discuss the professional attitude and quality of each person's work: positive comments generate motivation, while negative (and constructive) comments allow for improvement.

When should a 360° assessment be carried out within a team?

360° feedback focuses on the behaviour of experts, middle managers, leaders and so on. It is therefore a particularly relevant tool for encouraging change within the company. For example, to promote a positive work culture, optimise individual and collective effectiveness, validate objectives or improve internal management processes and systems. It is also necessary to expect the employees involved to lend credibility to this approach: they must be committed and invested in interpreting the results constructively or giving their opinion honestly and objectively. The employee or manager must be prepared to receive feedback from his or her colleagues and be willing to be challenged if a 360° evaluation is to bring about real change.