360 Degree Feedback. Beyond the Spin

摘要

Three-hundred and sixty degree feedback, also referred to as multi-source multi-rater feedback, is where an employee receives feedback from a variety of stakeholders such as direct reports, colleagues, managers and customers. The aim of the research was to review the area of 360-degree feedback and provide an independent analysis of some of the key issues that have emerged in both theory and practice. In particular, we focused on four key aims: to make explicit the practical difficulties being faced by organizations implementing 360-degree feedback$ to examine evidence of the impact of 360-degree feedback on the individual (in terms of behavioral change and improved performance)$ to examine evidence of impact on the organization (in terms of organizational effectiveness and added value)$ and to provide advice based on our findings so that practitioners can increase the likelihood of achieving positive impact in the future. The project comprised three main phases: a large-scale literature review, a series of interviews and consultations with organizations, and two in-depth case studies. The literature review provided information regarding current issues and use, while the interviews, consultations and case studies illustrated more detailed analysis of evidence.