1. 360-Degree Feedback Shaobang Sun, Ph.D. Patricia Keenan, Ph.D.
Beverly Dugan, Ph.D.

2. 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

3. 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….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. How Can
360-degree Feedback
Help
Individual Development?

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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).

13. 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

14. What Do We Think? (cont.) Follow-up IDP Feedback Data Collection
Individual learning and development are primarily individuals’ responsibilities after providing feedback
Follow-up
The process of 360-degree feedback is often presented in this way.
This model can mislead people.
IDP
Feedback
Data Collection
Instrument
Planning

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Better Integrate 360-degree Feedback And Individual Learning

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. Thank You!