360-Degree Feedback

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360-Degree Feedback

Shaobang Sun, Ph.D.

Patricia Keenan, Ph.D.

Beverly Dugan, Ph.D.

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Overview

Definition of 360-degree feedback

How can 360-degree feedback help individual development?

Basic assumptions

Challenges

How do we think?

Better Integrating 360-degree feedback and individual learning

Summary

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A Personal Story

I went to a store to buy some computer equipment.

I really enjoyed the time at the store.

When I got home, my wife asked: “Did you find what you need?”

“Oh, I forgot….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

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How Does This Story Connect To 360-degree Feedback?

Organizations often forget their major objectives when they implement 360-degree surveys

They plan to use 360-degree feedback programs to develop people’s leadership skills

Then they focus on how to implement such programs smoothly and successfully

It is really a complex process

When they finish the process, they often have forgotten their original goals

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Definition Of 360-degree Feedback

A manager or supervisor is rated on a range of leadership competencies by people with whom he or she has a work or business relationship

Self, boss, peer, subordinates, customers, and even family members

It is a common belief that such programs are effective when used for developmental purposes but not for administrative (e.g. promotion) purposes

So, this presentation will mainly discuss how to use 360-degree feedback effectively to develop people

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Definition Of 360-degree Feedback

A 360-degree feedback process usually consists of multiple steps

Planning

buy-in

evaluation instrument design or selection

report generation

feedback delivery

setting development plan

follow-up

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How Can

360-degree Feedback

Help

Individual Development?

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Basic Assumption

Feedback can enhance self-awareness about own strengths and weaknesses

Based on Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger, 1957), a significant gap between self-ratings and ratings from others can cause psychological dissonance. When this happens, people are motivated to reduce this gap and feel assonant again.

According to Control Theory (Carter & Schneier, 1981,1982), when people detect discrepancies between their goals and their behavior, they are likely to take actions to reduce the discrepancies.

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Basic Assumption

Therefore, it is widely believed that 360-degree feedback can result in energy and impetus for change (e.g., Lewin, 1958; London, 1997).

However, some challenges have been raised to this assumption

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Challenge From Common Sense and Observations

A common sense perspective

Many people are already well aware of their weaknesses and strengths because of rich feedback in daily life

Observations

Kaplan (1993) observed that too often managers are given feedback, dutifully resolve to do better, and nothing changes.

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Challenge From Empirical and Theoretic Research A meta analysis by Kluger and DeNisi

(1989) suggests that simply providing people feedback itself doesn’t result in positive change.

Lower their objectives and/or reject the feedback that can be motivated to

Keep self-consistency

Maintaining and enhancing self-esteem

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Challenge From Empirical and Theoretic Research

Goodstone and Diamante (1998) questioned the assumption that to know oneself is to change oneself.

Feedback is more effective when it focuses on behaviors, tasks, and situations

However, the target areas of 360-degree often are interpersonal styles or other trait-related competencies (see what feedback reports often present).

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What Do We Think?

There is a plenty of room between feedback and actual individual development /change

Feedback: How was a person perceived by various raters?

Judgment: what does the feedback mean to the person?

Intention: What does the person plan to do?

Action: What does the person really do?

Results: What does the person finally achieve?

Therefore, a lot of effort is needed to ensure that feedback can result in positive change

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What Do We Think? (cont.)

Planning

Instrument

Data Collection

Feedback

IDP

Follow-up The process of 360-degree feedback is often presented in this way.

This model can mislead people.

Individual learning and development are primarily individuals’ responsibilities after providing feedback

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What Do We Think? (cont.) Conceptual model can affect people’s practice

It describe its main objective, the individual development activities, as “follow-up”. Based on this model, organizations may fail to

Keep their focus on their original goal

Recognize the difficulty of individual development

Allocate sufficient resources

Create learning conditions

Provide important support and facilitation

Make necessary culture changes

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What Do We Think? (cont.)

It is important to model the process of 360-degree feedback in a way that

The primary goal can be emphasized or highlighted

Organizational continuing support to individual development is addressed

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What Do We Think? (cont.) People need to better understand individual

development/learning process A diligent and long-term process People need to overcome resistance to

stretch beyond their comfort zones Organizations and individuals need to work

as a united force: Personal goals and organizational

objectives can be aligned Organizations can facilitate and support

individual learning Organization can improve and even

transform its culture during this process

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Better Integrate 360-degree Feedback And Individual Learning

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What Should Be Done At The Organizational Level

When designing a 360-degree feedback program, it is important to

make it clear that actual individual development /change is the major goal

Better model the individual learning process instead of simply using “follow-up”

During implementing the program , it is important to

Align the whole effort with the goal of individual development

e.g., train people how to give constructive feedback in real work situations

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What Should Be Done At The Organizational Level (cont.)

After giving feedback, it is important to

Ensure to keep focus on the major goal—individual development

Set realistic expectations

Allocate sufficient resources

Provide supportive conditions

Create a learning culture

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What Should Be Done At The Individual Level?

Better understand why he or she needs to learn or develop

Personal stakes

Organizational stakes

Find a good coach or mentor

Have a focus

More is less and less is more

One of the keys is to identify one or two areas for improvement

Motivation

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What Should Be Done At The Individual Level? (cont.)

Three ways to make a development focus:

Strengths (from good to great)

Weaknesses when they really create problems

Leverage strengths and compensate for weaknesses

Learn how to mix them to have a better outcome

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What Should Be Done At The Individual Level? (cont.)

If you know how to play chess, you will know that You have a total of 16 pieces Some pieces (e.g., 1 queen, 2 bishops, 2

rooks) are more powerful than other (e.g., 8 pawns)

You cannot change each piece’s power. However, you can learn how to manipulate those individual pieces more effectively to achieve a better overall result.

This is often ignored because it cannot be directly reflected in a 360-degree feedback report

Organizations may redesign work systems or processes to better use people

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What Should Be Done At The Individual Level? (cont.)

Be patient, persistent, resilient and creative

Reflection is important

Seek external support whenever needed

Emotional

Strategic

Technical

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Benefits Of This Integration

Ensure the main objective, individual development, always a focus

Both organizations and individuals are responsible for making actual learning happen

They work as a joint force

Aligning personal development goals and organizational goals and objectives

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Benefits Of This Integration (cont.)

Organizations can provide sufficient resources and create supportive conditions and culture to facilitate individual learning

Ideally, organizations can finally create a feedback culture which is characterized as:

People often receive constructive feedback from various sources on a regular basis

People also often actively seek feedback for improvement

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Benefits Of This Integration (cont.)

When a feedback culture is created, it can help apply feedback theories more correctly

Research indicates: Feedback is more effective when

Focusing on tasks and behaviors instead of trait-type competencies

Given in a timely manner 360-degree programs often

Target leadership competencies Take a long time to provide

feedback

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Benefits Of This Integration (cont.)

In a feedback culture,

Individuals can get feedback on a regular basis so that feedback is

Given in a timely manner

more likely to focus on behavior instead of trait because of vivid memory

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Summary

Need to better model the whole process of 360-degree feedback programs with a focus on individual development

Conceptual model directs people’s practice

You are going to launch a space shuttle instead of satellite

Satellite: not much follow-up is needed after it is launched

Space shuttle, the real mission just starts after it is launched

Future research is needed to collect empirical evidence

How organizations and individuals can learn together

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Thank You!