FREE online courses on 360 Degree Feedback as an Intervention - the How to handle the issue

Begin with Development

It is advisable to introduce 360-degree as an internal tool for personal development and growth if your company has no experience of this intervention and not directly start linking it to promotions, rewards, stock options, etc.

 

360-degree addresses the very basic change-management process and can be very frightening to a lot of people to think that subordinates and co-workers will rate them. Here transparency and confidentiality is of utmost importance. Integrity around the process has to be totally ensured and demonstrated visibly for a process of this kind. Most companies have at least a one-year program in place before linking it to performance reviews. GE pioneered the use of 360-degree for over three years as a developmental tool and getting people used to it with out seeing any change in the organization.

Link with company goal

No program as unorthodox as 360-degree must be taken lightly. It must be finally linked to a significant business reason that is plain to everyone.

 

v     Is the purpose of introducing 360-degree to change the culture?

v     Or is it enhancing the performance management system?

 

Another important aspect is that when you move people from one position to another, or one place to another, particularly in the Indian context, the mind is terribly occupied with who I am going to report to in my new job instead of what kind of challenge / work I am going to face.

 

This is a major paradigm shift in the culture and mindsets of where energies do not get wasted in- who my boss is going to be and his idiosyncrasies and all kinds of personalized behavior that get trapped into companies like GE, IBM, Motorola have very successfully used 360-degree feedback to build some common benchmark, some common anchors in the system displaying consistent leadership behavior along the board during movements.