What is 360-degree feedback assessment, its purpose and how to do it

Everyone who wants to get 360-degree feedback needs to learn what it is and what the purpose of this assessment is. This article offers an explanation of what a 360-degree assessment consists of, what it measures and what don't, what effects it has, and how you can get one done for yourself or for your employees.
What is 360-degree feedback assessment, its purpose and how to do it
A 360-degree feedback assessment (360 assessment) is a process through which individuals receive feedback from their managers, colleagues, and reports.

The purpose of a 360-degree feedback assessment is to provide an individual with a comprehensive view of his or her strengths and weaknesses to improve performance.

A 360-degree feedback assessment measures behaviors and attitudes that are important to the individual's role.

Feedback is provided by those who know the individual best - his or her manager, colleagues, and reports.

The benefits of doing a 360-degree feedback assessment include improved communication and decision making, increased self-awareness, and the development of leadership skills.

The effectiveness of 360-degree feedback has been proven in both corporate and academic settings.

If you want to learn more, keep reading about what a 360 assessment is and how to do it.

What is a 360-degree feedback assessment?

360-degree feedback assessment is a performance appraisal process that provides feedback from all directions.

It includes feedback from the individual's supervisor, subordinates, peers, or sometimes clients.

The main purpose of 360-degree feedback assessment is to provide feedback on individual performance from all angles.

360-degree feedback assessment is used to identify development areas and to improve organizational performance.

It can also be used to assess employee satisfaction and motivation.

The purpose of 360-degree feedback assessment is to provide employees with an understanding of how they are perceived by their colleagues.

It helps employees identify their strengths and weaknesses, and it provides them with an opportunity to improve their work performance.

What is the purpose of 360-degree assessment?

The main purpose of 360-degree assessment is to provide employees with an understanding of how they are perceived by their colleagues.

It helps employees identify their strengths and weaknesses, and it provides them with an opportunity to improve their work performance.

However, some companies use this tool to identify whether somebody deserves a promotion or not.

Keep in mind, if it's used for determining compensation or promotion, misleading information might be provided.

What it measures and what doesn't?

It measures what people actually do, but not what they should do.

What is more, it measures what you are perceived to have done rather than what have really done or what your real skills are.

This is an important point to keep in mind.

A 360-degree assessment only measures behaviors that are important for the individual's role.

It doesn't measure how well a person fits their job requirements or what his motivations are.

It also doesn't measure what a person should be doing, but what he is actually doing.

In addition, it doesn't measure whether somebody deserves a promotion or not.

It only provides information on what the person is doing and what others think of his work.

Effectiveness of 360-degree feedback

It has been proven in both academic and corporate settings.

360-degree feedback helps organizations improve collaboration between employees, identify what drives the organization's success, increase employee engagement, and ensure their needs are being met.

It's generally suggested to conduct this assessment at least once a year.

How to do a 360 assessment

No matter what the purpose of a 360-degree assessment is, you will need to collect feedback from multiple sources.

To conduct this type of performance appraisal, you should gather feedback from an employee's direct reports, peers, and supervisor.

Other sources can include customers.

Here is a list of questions for a 360-degree review.

It's suggested to seek the assistance of HR managers to make the process more effective.

Keep in mind that what you get will depend on what you ask for.

If you want meaningful results from this type of performance evaluation, try to provide as much guidance as possible.

For example, what exactly an employee needs to work on should be clearly defined before collecting feedback.

When the preparation work is done, the HR manager sends a 360-degree review survey to all participants and collects feedback.

After the feedback is collected, it needs to be processed and analyzed.

As a result, an employee gets a 360-degree assessment document that contains information about what he or she does well, what needs to be improved on, what others say about him or her, etc.

In conclusion

A 360-degree assessment is a performance appraisal method that collects feedback from multiple sources.

The purpose of this type of assessment is to provide employees with an understanding of how they are perceived by their colleagues.

It helps employees identify their strengths and weaknesses, and it provides them with an opportunity to improve their work performance.

360-degree assessments can also be used to assess employee satisfaction and motivation.

They have been proven in both academic and corporate settings to be effective in improving organizational performance.

To conduct a 360-degree assessment effectively, you should gather feedback from an employee's direct reports, peers, and supervisor, ideally with the assistance of an HR manager.

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