Benefits of Using 360-Degree Feedback – Top 7

Benefits of using 360-degree feedback

Benefits of using 360-degree feedback are plentiful. 360’s are one of the older but more effective leadership development tools available. Sure, they have changed a bit over the years with more sophisticated technology but the premise is still the same – a review by multiple groups of others that gives constructive feedback on a leader in order to help them become a better leader. When used correctly, 360 feedback is an invaluable tool for multiple levels of leadership within an organization.  

Set your 360 degree process up for success 

When implementing a 360-degree feedback process for your company it is important to remember a few things.  

• Timing –is it the right time, is the company in a position to follow-up the reports with actionable development plans or should you wait until you can focus on it? Just remember, there is no such thing as the perfect time so don’t use timing as an excuse unless it simply shouldn’t be a priority yet.  
• Are you ready to take action after the reports come out or will they be looked at once and then sit in a file cabinet? This is really important, be ready to develop the focal participants so that you can get the full and real value from the 360 degree feedback process.  
• Do you have buy-in from your executive leadership team? Do they understand the true value 360-degree feedback brings? If not, be sure to get a good understanding of all the benefits and sell the process internally with the leadership team.  

In the grand scheme of things, 360 feedback is an inexpensive way to build a better, more effective leadership team throughout the organization. 

What are the benefits of using 360-degree feedback? 

Here are the Top 7 benefits of using 360-degree feedback 

 1. Good data leads to good development plans 

360-degree feedback reports provide a great starting point for building a development plan. A good 360 survey measures very discrete behaviors which provides participants with clarity and is very valuable for developing performance.  In addition, sometimes leaders are surprised by what they learn from these reports which can motivate them to make changes for improvement.  

2. Leader Buy–In to True Development Needs 

Since results are only reported in aggregate and therefore more anonymous, the data tends to be more valid.  The data also provides diverse perspectives which leads to a more well-rounded view of performance.   This tends to carry more weight with leaders, therefore more likely to leading to acceptance of the results and change. 

3. Builds better self-awareness 

Only when leaders are aware of their preferences, ways of working and possible blind spots, can they really bring their true selves into the business and make a positive and significant difference to the team and the organization.  Data from “others” with multiple perspectives is the surest way to get objective insight that you can use to become an even more effective leader.  Training may help but self-awareness is where the process begins.  Good leaders are required to take feedback and improve behavior to ultimately lead to better performance for the team.  

4. Encourages agile learning 

Good leaders should be constantly curious and carry a “beginners’ mindset.”  A beginner’s mindset is a willingness to give up on familiar approaches and a willingness to “unlearn” and “relearn.”  Often times it’s difficult to determine where learning should begin and the 360 process provides that starting point for “new” learnings. 

5. Fosters conversation among participants 

Many times, employees feel left out of the process of reviews and how the company makes decisions. The simple fact that multiple employees are asked to provide feedback generally goes a long way with people. There is a feeling of inclusion and that their “opinion” matters. In addition, the focal participant and their manager now have a starting point for a development plan. 360 feedback assessments truly build a conversation piece all around the focal participants leaderships capabilities and areas for improvement.   

6. Paints a well-rounded, clear picture of performance for the Leader 

Because 360-degree feedback utilized multiple rater groups, the end result leads to a more well-rounded understanding of performance. Also, the Leader begins to understand how behaviors must be used differently with different groups.  For example, communication behaviors may be very effective when dealing with direct reports, but less effective when making formal presentations to levels above the Leader.  Subsequently the leader ends up with clarity of the aspects of communication that need to be developed.  Expectations of others regarding the Leader’s performance quickly become apparent.  Because of this approach, it carries more weight with the focal participant and therefore has a better likelihood of leading to behavior change. 

7. Promotes positive behavior change 

Positive performance change is the ultimate goal of a 360 degree process.  Companies engaging with the 360 degree process should do everything they can to help ensure that this goal is met.  Leaders who understand where they can improve and how they are perceived can become better leaders with positive behavior change derived from the 360 feedback degree process. The effects on an organization when a leader makes positive behavior change can be astronomical. The old saying, “people do business with people they like” is similar to “people like to work for people they like”. They work harder, take more ownership and become better performers when they feel respected, understand their role/expectations and feel like they matter to the organization. No, 360 degree feedback isn’t a magic pill that creates all this behavior change but it is a great place to start the process. 

Get Started with your 360-degree feedback process 

Now that you can see the benefits of 360 feedback, it is time to put it into action. There are several ways to get started. First, decide what information is most relevant to you, how you want to administer it and how much time and resources you have to dedicate to the project.  Once you have your data points down on what is most important to you, determine the best vendor/partner for you that meets the majority of your needs. 

Related Blog Post: When to use 360-feedback in your organization 

Related Resource: 360 Degree Feedback Guide 

Related Webinar: Assessing at the Top: Unique Challenges and Rewards of using 360 feedback with Top Executives