Improving the effectiveness and value of 360-degree feedback is fundamental for organisations to drive employee growth, support internal mobility, and cultivate a culture of continuous development.
However, the constant debate about the power of AI threatens to engulf the practical talent management and retention actions that are needed right now.
But your workforce needs the clarity, robustness, and ownership of their appraisal, skills development and internal mobility - today. It’s crucial for HR leaders not to lose sight of this and to make sure the talent fundamentals are in place.
360-degree feedback is one such fundamental; a time-tested tool that has proven invaluable for employees and that can generate real ROI for an organisation.
It’s time to take a critical look at your existing 360-degree feedback and assess whether it truly meets the evolving needs of your workforce. It’s time to make sure your 360 is not a tick-box exercise but a meaningful development practice, valuable for employees, managers, and the organisation alike.
Crucially, is your 360 effective?
Is it designed to be fair and transparent? Does it provide actionable insights that empower individuals to take ownership of their development? Is it viewed as a valuable tool by both employees and managers, or an obligation?
These are the questions that demand your immediate attention. 360-degree feedback has moved on hugely in the past few years – and all 360 platforms are not the same. Organisations committed to employee ownership of review, development and progression need an effective 360 platform with the following elements as 'non-negotiables'.
Individuals buy into the 360, when it is relevant. Include their language and terminology they use, the skills and competencies they recognise and the values they know within the questionnaires and the reports. It means you need your 360 tool to be highly configurable for multiple versions of the 360 questionnaire running at the same time. It’s the difference between ‘meaningful and resonant’ and 'irrelevant and disregarded'.
When you have invested into the set up and roll out of your software, you need to know that your supplier is there is support and help when you need it so you can offer the same to your team. Getting started can be overwhelming. Look for a proven onboarding and set up process, guided by those who help define and test the system. They know what to do, and when best to do it.
We are all far more aware of data held about us than previously. You need to be sure that all of your data and information is heavily protected and robustly secure. ISO 270001 is the information management standard you need to look for in a supplier.
360s are not surveys. They need to combine the valuable feedback into various report formats so the user can take what they need, in the format that works for them. Look beyond the summaries and explore skills gap analysis, or Word clouds of feedback, blind spots or common development themes.
Getting the very most from 360 takes some extra thought. Make sure the team around you can help to shape and refine the design of your 360 and how to use it. Supplement and grow the capabilities of your internal team with external and independent psychologists with decades of experience in this.
Tech for tech’s sake helps no one. But you don’t want a platform that looks and feels outdated. Be sure that your 360 platform has a product development plan for enhancements (user led) and harnessing the power of new tech capabilities.
You would think ‘ease of use’ would be baked into all 360 systems. Not so. This is fundamental for all those accessing the platform, so it is a ‘non-negotiable’.
These non-negotiables make sure your 360 is effective today and can grow with you for future use. Why not book a call with us to talk about where you are in your 360 journey and how we might support you with our Talent 360.