360 Degree Feedback Best Practice

Common 360 degree feedback debrief scenarios: the marmite recipient

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 by John Rice

Tongue firmly in cheek here with the title, but it is another common 360 degree feedback debrief scenario; the recipient who has contradictory feedback from respondents.

This 360 feedback could be polarised within a respondent group i.e. within their 'direct reports' category, with some direct reports believing the recipient has a clear strength whilst others see it as a key development area.

Similarly, this can happen between respondent groups i.e. 'peers' might hold a very different view to the 'direct reports'; in both instances, this is highlighting that one group of people have a very different experience of the recipient to another group of people.

Why is this happening? This is the very issue to be explored in the 360 feedback debrief; it probably reflects the relationships the indvidual has with these different groups of people.

So, you would simply ask the recipient why they may have a different perception; how do they behave with one group to the next? Are they aware of a difference?

They may not be, so this vein of questionning can help discover if the recipient treats certain people differently to others.

At the same time, you must discourage a 'witch hunt'; typically heard as ''Well they would say that!" or "I know who said that, so I am not really bothered".

All of these comments suggest the recipient is still focussed on others behaviours rather than their own.

John

Common 360 degree feedback debrief scenarios: the excellent recipient

Monday, October 12, 2009 by John Rice

Following on from the theme of my last post around 360 degree feedback debriefs, another scenario we encounter is where the recipient has an excellent 360 feedback report.

This again is a question we often have asked in our training programme; 'What should I do if there are just no development areas?'.

The first thing to note is that there are always development areas; there is always something an individual could choose to do differently in their role or towards a role they aspire to.

So firstly with an excellent report, the debrief should still take time to explore the very strong feedback and narrative; the recipient should be encouraged to take the time to celebrate it and enjoy it, because they may not have had this type of 360 feedback before.

You may ask them if any of this great feedback comes as a surprise; draw their attention to particular examples of great behaviour and highlight the noted impact on others and the organisation.

When it comes to what they might see as 'things to do differently' or development opportunities they may seize upon, then this is where you can ask them if the strengths highlighted might be deployed to even greater effect across the organisation.

Asking this type of question and raising the issue of where this person sees themself in 12-18 months time can help focus their mind of what strengths are really important to demonstrate even more if they are to fulfil their ambitions.

One might argue that this is an 'easier' type of 360 feedback debrief; however, the truth is that is perhaps even harder than most, as you have to fight against complacency and an opportunity just to pat someone on the back!

John

Common 360 degree feedback debrief scenarios: the resistant recipient

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 by John Rice

A recent article in 'Management Today' highlighted a common scenario which is always raised as a concern in our own one-day training programme, 'How to conduct effective 360 degree feedback debriefs', and that is 'What do I do if they just won't accept the negative feedback?'

The answer provided is good at highlighting that there is a need for validation of the recipient's position; after all, it is subjective feedback that has been provided, so their 'worldview' is just as important.

However, if there is an overwhelming feedback and a broad perception in their 360 feedback report, that they exhibit behaviours which others find difficult, then it is worth emphasising that whilst this alternative worldview is different to their own, it cannot be ignored.

Denial and justification will be uppermost in many of these types of 360 feedback debrief conversations, and ultimately you can only take some one so far in accepting that there is feedback worth paying attention to.

Ways to break through though can come about when asking what the consequence will be if these two 'worldviews' are allowed to continue? Can they carry on in 'harmony' albeit very different?

This is unlikely; more likely is the fact that as the recipient considers the consequences of continuing in the same way for the next 12 months, they will see a risk attached to this approach; continuing conflict, an impact on performance and ultimately something will have to give, which could be their role, aspirations within the organisation, etc.

John

Bowland Solutions present at TJ Forum Networking Event - Friday 11th September

Friday, September 4, 2009 by John Rice

I will be facilitating a session on Friday 11th September for the 'TJ Forum South Group' also known as the 'Challenge Yourself' network ,entitled 'The trials and tribulations of implementing 360 Degree Feedback'.

This event is now full, but the network is growing, thriving and very active, so if you would be interested in joining and attending future events, then just drop a note to Sam Swinstead of Challege Manager.

Sam does a tremendous job of creating and organising events that cover a range of topics throughout the year, so bias aside, if you are based in the South and want to learn & network with a diverse group of people, then I think you should get stuck in!

John

Debriefing 360 feedback correctly taps into the power within..

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 by John Rice

We often talk about the face-to-face meeting where the 360 degree feedback report is shared with a recipient as being the most important element of the whole process.

We call this the 'debrief' and have discussed before what we feel is the purpose of this session and what constitutes a successful outcome; namely, a higher level of self-awareness and some sense of acceptance of the feedback.

We believe that with this having been achieved, an individual has the inherent ability to decide what needs to change, how they can improve and how they should develop themselves.

This is highlighted again in a recent article in People Management magazine by Sir John Whitmore, who talks about 'high awareness and high responsibility'; as line managers and leaders develop themselves from within through understanding themselves better, they are more able to help their reports in a similar way.

John

360 Degree Feedback....discretionary or necessary in turbulent times?

Friday, May 1, 2009 by John Rice

Two recent articles supported our own experience over the first 4 months of this year, which is that the use of 360 Degree Feedback is on the rise.

The first cited a recent CIPD survey, "War on Talent?..", which highlighted Leadership Skills as one of the most important skills in meeting business objectives in the coming years (81%).

Despite the fact that L & D budgets are being curtailed, we are still seeing a firm committment to Leadership Development Programmes, as organisations realise that they must allocate their training spend carefully and ensure that they nuture the talent that will navigate them out of the downturn.

A natural precursor to any leadership development is 360 Degree Feedback; it offers an excellent way to get anecdotal evidence of performance and behaviours both pre- and post-programme, and to assess any changes that may have happened as a consequence of the training.

Certainly an article on senior management development at Cable & Wireless in the latest 'Human Resources Magazine' makes reference to this; they use 360 Degree Feedback in combination with the training and various ongoing interventions such as coaching and one-to-ones.

With limited budgets and leadership top of the agenda, it becomes increasingly important to measure the success of any initiative, particularly one where the very future success of the organisation is at stake.

John

Annual Appraisal & Continuous Feedback

Monday, April 27, 2009 by John Rice

We are in the midst of a popular time for annual appraisals at the moment; we see a sudden uplift in interest in creating efficient on-line performance review processes.

As ever, we advise and guide clients as to what good practice looks like when conducting the annual reviews, but increasingly we are having discussions around what should happen in-between the annual reviews....i.e. those 12 months from one review to the next...!

Not unsuprisingly, we suggest that there should be more frequent reviews over the course of the year, coupled with more forward looking conversations about what needs to happen in order for performance to improve.

Invariably for performance to improve, there has to be feedback; there has to be comment on how someone is performing in the moment, in order to raise their self-awareness and enable them to decide to do things differently.

If someone you were coaching was running a marathon and they wanted to achieve their best possible time, how often would you give this feedback? At the end of the race or as they ran?

Stock phrases for performance review?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 by John Rice

A good blog post at KnowHR recently on performance reviews, which hgihlighted a recent publication offering a whole series of stock phrases for line managers to use in the annual appraisal.

I can understand the need to support line managers to help them conduct constructive performance reviews, but feel that offering 'phrases to memorise' send out the wrong message.

The review is meant to a process which leads to a meaningful conversation, just as any other conversation should be between an employee and their line manager.

Far better to offer tips, advice and guidance on how to have a meaningful and authentic conversation as two adults then to focus on getting through the process with a 'pick & mix' list

Why are do 'Performance Management' and 'Performance Appraisals'?

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 by John Rice

This was a key question at a recent networking event and forum, where the desire was to find a new way to implement performance appraisals and performance management in a way that was productive and engaging.

We often find that when talking to clients about another area of our expertise, namely, 360 degree feedback, that this question of 'Why are we doing this?' is more readily discussed and easier to identify.

This is because the concept of conducting a 360 degree feedback process is a conscious decision for the organisation; it might support a leadership development programme or be part of an assesssment centre initiative - in any case, it is evaluated with a specific purpose in mind.

However, when it comes to performance appraisals, this conversation doesn't always happen, because there are just accepted as 'something we have to do'.

As a consequence, it can become easy to focus on the process and the detail of performance appraisals, without really considering what you hope to achieve with them.

Once there is a clear understanding of what you truly want performance management and appraisals to acheive within the business, ideas as to how you can make them productive and engaging become much easier.

Making Performance Appraisals easy..

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by John Rice

I read a recent article in the Harvard Business Review which made me reflect on how placing performance appraisals on-line made things easy for everyone concerned, and here's why...

It discussed how lasting behavioural change can often come about through changes to ones environment.

The author described examples from everyday life, where for example, he moved their garden furniture to outside their patio doors rather than in the garden - suddenly where they once aspired to eat outside and enjoy the weather, but didn't because the table and chairs were 'too far down the garden' - they found themselves eating outside all the time....why?

He attributed to the simple fact that it was perceived as being 'easier' to do it....just open the patio doors and sit down!

The act of making the environment more conducive to sitting down outside, made it more likely to happen.

He extends the same observation to work life; if you can make it easier for people to do something, or have them perceive it as being easier, then there is a greater chance of them doing it.

He cites many examples but not unsurprisingly my interest was in the comment regarding making day-to-day tasks simpler by using technology; for us this is the most straightforward argument for on-line performance appraisals - it just makes things easier.

We consistently see improved completion rates, higher levels of engagement, and a more cohesive approach to appraisals because on-line systems make it easier to administer and use.

Social Networking - A way of spreading best practice in Performance Appraisals

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 by John Rice

Given the fact that we have a rapidly growing base of some 30,000 users accessing our on-line performance appraisal and 360 degree feeback systems every day, I was keen to attend the recent Social Networking Forum at Olympia this week.

We have a community of users that already interact with us regularly and with the technology changing at such a fast pace, this ability to listen, engage and respond can only improve.

The media often skew the picture around 'social networking' as being the domain of Facebook or My Space and alike - as a consequence, it can be perceived as something that adds little value to the day-to-day productivity of an employee and subsequently the organisation.

However, the idea of establishing network of individuals who can help each other, pass on knowledge, and experience that relates to their work makes perfect sense.

With some careful forethought, one could establish communities that actually create efficiencies and improve productivity through sharing best practice on many tasks that are common to most organisations; one such area would be performance appraisals.

As with worked with so many different clients, we often share best practice through our discussions as we advise, guide and suggest ways to implement an online appraisal process.

To open up this discussion to a wider audience both within the client organisation or between organisations could help to create a new standard in performance management and appraisals.

Now, let's have a look at this thing called 'Twitter'......!

Sharing a 360 Degree Feedback report...this is the one key thing to remember

Thursday, March 5, 2009 by John Rice

Enticing a title as it is, with the promise of one key thing to remember in sharing 360 degree feedback reports, there is a grain of truth to it!

Having run another of our one-day training programme, 'Conducting effective 360 degree feedback debriefs', I reflected on what was the key thing that most delegates appeared to take away from the day.

It centered around one of the first topics within the programme, which is to ask 'What is the purpose of the debrief?'; this in turn, has the delegates explore what their role is within the debrief.

The key fact is that the debrief is not a coaching session, although coaching skills may be deployed; similarly, it is not a counselling session, albeit that appropriate support of the individual is required; and finally, it is not a mentoring session, you are not there primarily to offer your insight or experience..

So, what is the purpose of the debrief?

It is to ensure that the recipient comes away with a balanced understanding of the feedback they have been given.

In doing this, you as a debriefer look to raise their level of self-awareness and ensure that there is a degree of acceptance of the feedback.

I think this is best illustrated with the following simple image:

Your role is to primarily allow the recipient to explore the feedback, raise their levels of self-awareness and take responsibility.

It is all too easy to jump over the line too quickly and try to have someone set goals, take actions, etc before they have had that chance to reflect and accept the feedback.

Resist this temptation in the debrief and the indvidual will reap the rewards.

Performance Reviews and Performance Management in todays climate

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 by John Rice

A recent survey published in Personnel Today highlighted how HR strategy is changing in the current climate with 72% prioritising performance management in businesses where changes were being implemented.

Those organisations that were adapting to the new environment, had shifted their emphasis from recruitment to retention - despite the overwhelming talk of organisations shedding jobs, there is a real effort for many companies to ensure they manage their existing employee base to best effect whilst imposing a recruitment freeze.

This means effective performance management, performance reviews, regular feedback and a need to fully engage employees in order to maximise their contribution and retain them.

The need to identify talent within an organisation, and then to successfully manage, develop & retain that talent should always be a priority; the current situation has simply brought this more sharply into focus.

Employee performance review in a downturn

Thursday, February 5, 2009 by John Rice

I recently attended an HR event where the topic was 'Leading HR in a recession'; a key point for me was that accurate employee performance appraisal information was critical in helping organisations through the downturn.

Hard choices will have to be made and priorities decided upon, but they should not be to the detriment of the organisation in the long term.

A way to ensure this is to base decisions upon good objective feedback (360 feedback or otherwise) and objective performance data...or as near to that nirvana as you can get.

Taking a more robust approach to performance management has never been more important as companies may have to face doing more with less.

Effective Performance Management - A committment on both sides

Monday, February 2, 2009 by John Rice

I recently posted a series of comments on other HR forums which had a common theme regarding what we believed underpinned effective performance management; consequently, it seemed appropriate to post a summary here.

It centered on the ability of an organisation to be able to motivate people to perform - not unsurprisingly, within a sales environment (as one post had realted to), the comments quickly turned to using well thought through commission structures that rewarded 'good' performance.

'Good' performance was seen as being that which resulted in sales and appropriate behaviour that was aligned with the company strategy long-term, rather than sales at any cost.

There is no doubt that reward plays a key factor within motivation of individuals, but as most commentators now conclude, it is but one element.

We suggested a methodical approach to performance management and performance review which tackled performance inhibiting factors from a simpler base level.

We believe that there are a series of 'Enablers' which an organisation must have in place that enable employees to perform to the best of their ability; these would include:

Clarity of job role, responsibilities and expectations - WHAT?
Knowledge and Skills to fufil their job role- HOW?
Clarity of how their job role fits into the 'bigger picture' - WHY?

It is suprising how often we see these 3 factors alone being responsible for underperformance - a lack of clarity and training can leave employees underperforming, despite being well rewarded and keen to do well.

Beyond these, we have a series of key questions that should be asked to determine if other 'Enablers' are in place - such as career development opportunities, line manager feedback, etc.

It is only when many other factors are exhausted, can motivation be truly looked at as something which is down to a level of 'engagement' on the part of the employee, and even then, the dreaded 'He has a poor attitude' factor appears way down the list of contributing factors!

Such questions can be extended beyond just performance reviews, to provide a powerful 'Performance Engagement Survey', which we design for clients to offer a 360 degree appraisal of their whole companys performance capability.

Reviewing the Performance Review process...

Monday, January 26, 2009 by John Rice

A recent conversation with a client who were unhappy with their annual performance appraisal format reminded me of the critical need to review the appraisal process and the form before any thought is given over to how to implement an online performance review system to enable the process to run more efficiently.

The old adage of 'start with the end in mind' is very apt as always in these situations - for example, consider what data you really wish to capture about your employees and how it will benefit them and the organisation in equal measure.

Often very complex forms can be found with organisations that have developed over time or been lifted from a bank of generic forms, with the result that the form and hence process is viewed negatively by line managers and staff alike.

They see the form and process as irrelevant and counter-intuitive to the role and company they work within, and this will invariably lead to them disengaging from the process.

Sometimes, a simple review of the form and process may yield some great insights; depending on the company culture, you may discover that a simple form with a few free-text comments sections is sufficient at this time - no ratings, complex formula or competencies, just an opportunity to record the thoughts of both the individual and their boss.

And if this gets a meaningful conversation going between them about performance, development and career aspirations, then it's a job well done.

John

Performance Management...Performance Appraisal every day?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 by John Rice

Performance Appraisal every day sounds slightly 'nightmarish' in concept to most people, but let's consider it in the context of effective Performance Management.

An appraisal is simply a method of assessing performance; typically this is an annual affair, sometimes with an interim review at the 6 month mark.

Traditionally, it encompasses a review of objectives and progress towards their accomplishment, any obstacles that may be inhibiting performance, learning & development needs in support of meeting goals and career progression, a future look at any new goals, and a final comments section.

Reviewing these elements every day may not be practical, but a review once a week perhaps? Once a fortnight? Once a month? Once a quarter?

I suspect, as with many people I have spoken with, there is an underlying feeling that whilst once a week or fortnight might be deemed excessive or impractical, but that as you consider once a month or quarter, one starts to muse "Hmmm, maybe once a month/quarter would be sensible....perhaps once a year is pretty ineffective..".

No great scientific study to say what is the optimum number of appraisals one should have over the course of the year, just a common sense instinct that tells most of us to say to our team members......"We really should meet more often, you know?".

More of our clients are adhering to this approach of more regular appraisal meetings supported with a simple online form to capture the conversation....as Tesco would say "Every little helps".

New Year Resolutions and 360 Degree Feedback

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 by John Rice

When one reflects on the previous year and then comes to make some new resolutions for the coming one, it is a rare person who notices that the same items sometimes crop up on their list, year after year.

Each resolution is usually a desired change in behaviour, as one might wish to commit to after receiving some 360 degree feedback - but changes in behaviour, habit, attitude, etc can take time, not always (and there are methods in making 'step change' in terms of performance/behaviour), but generally it is a commitment to adopt a new habit.

What makes for a succesful change? First, a realisation that the change is required, be that through your own thoughts on the matter or though the feedback of others (or both).

Secondly, there needs to be a real motivation to make the change; considering 'What's in it for me?' is important.

Thirdly, you need to then set in place a series of milestones, goals, tangible measures that keep you on track, with consideration of the resources and support you will need.

This list is not exhaustive, but a start when considering how to support people trying to 'change' their performance at work after receiving their appraisal or 360 feedback.

Help them realise, help them connect to their own reasons for change and, as an organisation, support them as much as you can.

Performance Appraisal of GPs...there is a right way and a very wrong way

Friday, January 9, 2009 by John Rice

I read a very interesting article in the Guardian at the weekend which highlighted a plan announced by the health minister, Ben Bradshaw, to allow patients to rate their GP on an NHS website.

This would allow them to post comments on anything from their 'perceived competence to bedside manner'.

The article outlines the dangers of such an approach, whereby any anonymous person, with invariably little knowledge of good medical practice, could take exception to their treatment.

There is already an established method of appraisal and revalidation of GPs, as part of a mandatory process which ensures they are subject to the scrutiny of peers, supervisors, junior staff and patients where appropriate.

This is based upon a recognised and agreed framework of competencies, with due diligence given to performing a managed 360 degree feedback process, complete with a debrief with the GP/Consultant.

Not suprisingly, we feel this is the best method in which to approach appraisals; carefully implemented and managed with all consideration given to the recipient of the feedback.

Better this way, than a 'open season' on GPs, where any feedback can be posted and given weight - these are real peoples jobs, not game show contestants.

John

Constant feedback does improve performance....just ask a new father!

Monday, January 5, 2009 by John Rice

A brief post and slightly personal one which finds me musing on my first day back after an eventful Xmas break about what I might blog this week.

I became a father for the first time over the holidays and the last two weeks have been something of a blur to say the least (I am sure all the 'Dads' out there will be nodding and chuckling to themselves at this point!).

With the sound of baby crys and whimpers ringing in my ears as I headed back to the office, I considered how much 'feedback' I had been given by our new baby during these early days!

Nappy/Diaper changing, rocking, comforting, feeding; thoughout all of these activities, if I wasn't doing it right...I soon knew about it! A baby cries at exactly the right pitch to make you want to do something different to make it stop crying...and fast!

I became very, very fast at changing him....I changed the position, speed and method of rocking time after time, I quickly recognised when he needed feeding or comforting...or both!

This constant performance appraisal helped me to change behaviour, improve my technique, strive to be 'better' at what I was doing..

It has also given me a healthy respect and admiration to those parents who have more than one child....I can only begin to imagine what it would be like to have 360 degree feedback from 2 or 3 bundles of joy!

John