How can 360 degree feedback improve performance?

If you want to improve the performance of your workforce, 360 degree feedback is a must-have tool in your arsenal. For those who are not already familiar with the concept, check out our guide to ‘What is 360 degree feedback?’.  

By getting multiple perspectives of an employees strengths & weaknesses, there are a number of ways in which 360 degree feedback can improve performance levels in the workplace. We will explore these in more detail below. 

Enhances Teamwork

Members of a team work much more effectively when they understand how their work & behaviour affects those around them. Individuals can use 360 degree feedback to work on communication & other team work skills.

Also, knowing each team member’s strengths & weaknesses means roles can be assigned for maximum productivity. 

Increases Self Awareness

Self awareness is the first step to self improvement. It means that you understand your own personality, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, beliefs, thoughts and emotions. This is important for all employees, but especially for those who are in leadership roles. It shows how they are perceived as leaders – how much they inspire, motivate and develop those who they manage. 

Reduced Defensiveness

When a manager is the sole source of appraisal & assessment, it is easy for an employee to feel defensive when faced with criticism. They might attribute it to the fact that they don’t think the manager particularly likes them. Whereas if criticism comes from multiple sources, including their peers, they are more likely to accept it. 

Promotes Positive Dialogue

Feedback and self awareness promotes an opportunity for positive dialogue between employees, managers & teams. This could involve discussing goals and an improvement plan based on the 360 degree feedback results.

Issues that may have previously been difficult to discuss, become easier to address after 360 degree feedback. Trust between team members is also improved as they continue to seek feedback from each other.  

Encourages Personal Development

Honest and reliable feedback from a 360 perspective is necessary to challenge perceptions, recognize previously overlooked strengths, and expose weaknesses. These weaknesses need to be identified and embraced, in order to improve on them. By providing easy, digestible areas to examine, 360 degree feedback is a great way to encourage personal development throughout your workforce. 

Creates a Clear Understanding of Goals & Expectations

360 degree feedback focuses on behaviours that contribute to company goals & objectives. The process provides raters and those being rated with the chance to see which values and behaviours are important for the companies success. This can otherwise be lost sight of in some roles. Employees might then take it on themselves to align their self improvement goals with those of their team & company. 

Why 360 Degree Feedback is a Must-Have

The above list, which is not exhaustive, shows how 360 degree feedback can improve many areas of your teams performance. It is a must-have tool for leaders who are looking for ways to maximise productivity. 

We provide 360 degree feedback software which allows you to design your own development and appraisal based surveys. Our tool supports small teams and large organisations alike. If you would like to learn more, please get in touch today to request a free demo.