The Ultimate Use for 360-degree Feedback
Measuring Individual Performance Improvement
By Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.
What’s the purpose of 360-degree feedback? What are the
most powerful ways to use it?
The technology for collecting and reporting multi-source
feedback was developed in the 1980s. Its original purpose was
to diagnose leadership performance issues. By assessing a
comprehensive set of skill areas, leaders obtained
quantitative and qualitative information about strengths and
areas that need improvement.
Other innovative uses for multi-source feedback have
evolved over the decades (see Appendix). However, when most
people hear about 360-degree feedback, they still think of its
traditional use: a global diagnostic of competence and skill.
A much more powerful application of 360-degree feedback goes
beyond the diagnosis to reinforce changes in behavior. A
doctor’s diagnosis can reveal the disease, but this
information can’t cure it. Likewise, 360-degree feedback can
identify priority areas for improvement, but this information
isn’t enough to improve work habits. Changing a behavior
pattern may require instruction, followed by months of
reinforcement. Try changing the way you eat or the way you
swing a golf club. Tiger Woods made changes in his swing early
in 2004, and he didn’t start to win again until almost a year
later, after persisting through hours of practice every day.
The problem is that even with the best of intentions, when
people try to do things differently, initial attempts tend to
feel awkward. When these efforts don’t achieve the desired
result, frustration and discouragement follow. Without a
formal program of follow-through reinforcement and without
support from the direct manager and others in the workplace,
people tend to fall back on what feels familiar and
comfortable. They eventually return to their old way of doing
things.
To achieve the desired changes in behavior, 360-degree
feedback needs to be followed by several months of
reinforcement, involving ongoing learning, ongoing feedback,
coaching and accountability. It takes that long for the brain
cells to grow and reconnect into new pathways that are the
physical basis for new behavior patterns.
After people are assessed in underdeveloped skill areas,
they may need training. Either or both of these interventions
must be followed by an extended period of reinforcement. This
commonsense developmental sequence is the foundation of what
is perhaps the most powerful 360-degree application ever
devised: measuring individual performance improvement. Used in
this way, 360-degree feedback works both as a diagnostic
assessment and as a means to check whether weak areas have
improved.
The concept is simple. First, integrate behavior-based
assessment with behavior-based training. Then several months
after training, follow through with a more focused
behavior-based assessment related to the priority areas for
improvement. Compare the pre-course scores with the
post-course scores. Improved scores will indicate how much
skills have improved. This approach has significant benefits.
First, the results of the pre-course diagnostic allow
participants to set quantified, behavior-based performance
improvement goals.
Also, knowing that follow-up assessments will be administered
causes learners to be more focused and motivated as they work
with trainers—the ideal mindset for learning.
In addition, the post-course assessments give learners
quantified and qualitative feedback about how they’re doing as
they try to improve their skills.
Finally, following through with post-course assessments
creates accountability. The assessment results will document
whether the individual has improved on-the-job performance.
Repeat post-course assessments can be administered as desired
to produce ongoing measures of performance improvement.
To implement this system, you’ll need a fully customizable
360-degree assessment system, because the assessment items
need to be tailored to exactly mirror the desired behaviors
taught in training. In other words, assessment and training
must be integrated. Also, the assessment needs to be
affordable. Inexpensive unlimited assessment licenses for each
person make it possible to give learners all the feedback they
will need after training—without additional expense.
For leadership development, many organizations use the
20/20 Insight GOLD automated feedback system along with the
Vital Learning Supervision Series GOLD curriculum. 20/20
Insight GOLD administers the Supervision Series leadership
diagnostic assessment, identifying strong and weak areas. Then
the Vital Learning Supervision Series GOLD curriculum is
conducted as a 12-unit series, or selected blended (in-class
and online) learning units are delivered to focus on
high-priority weak areas.
In addition to assessment and training, the two
technologies provide ongoing support for the structured period
of reinforcement. The trainee materials include a year of
access to online video behavior models and post-course
reinforcement resources.
You don’t have to repeat the entire diagnostic assessment
to measure how much performance has improved. Instead,
post-course assessments need only focus on priority
developmental areas. Since the pre-course and post-course
items are identical, scores can be compared. This ability to
measure improvements in performance fulfills the need for
ongoing feedback and accountability.
The data created by performance improvement assessment can
also be used as a practical return-on-investment (ROI)
calculation. For example, assume that leadership skills
account for half of a supervisor’s effectiveness. Assessment
scores showing an average improvement from 6.4 (before
assessment and training) to 7.7 (several months after) would
indicate a 20% percent improvement. Since half of a salary of
$60,000 is $30,000, the organization would be getting 20% more
effectiveness for this cost, worth roughly $7,500—a result
many times greater (in dollars) than the cost of the
individual’s training.
Simple ROI calculations like this can be performed locally.
They are made possible by pre-course/post-course performance
improvement measurements powered by a customizable automated
feedback system.
The bottom line: global diagnostic assessments serve an
excellent purpose if you follow through with learning and
reinforcement. Combine an economical, flexible feedback
technology with a behavior-based leadership development
curriculum, and you get a fully integrated assessment,
training and reinforcement system:
- Focused, motivated learners
- Ongoing feedback during reinforcement
- Performance improvement accountability (Level 3
evaluation of training)
- An easy method for calculating ROI (Level 4 evaluation
of training)
More important, supervisory leaders are empowered to
reinforce and ingrain their new skills over time to create
permanent, measurable changes in behavior—the Holy Grail of
leadership development.
In the end, how well your front-line managers lead affects
the bottom line—and every other aspect of your organization.
Considering the billions of dollars invested annually in
leadership development, organizations need a way to
demonstrate whether these programs are actually changing
behavior. Using multi-source feedback to measure performance
improvement is the most effective way to quantify the return
on your investment.
About the Author
Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., is CEO of Performance Support
Systems, based in Newport News, VA. He coordinates research
and development and provides strategic direction for the
company. He is the author of 20/20 Insight GOLD, an
award-winning automated feedback system (www.2020insight.net),
and co-founder of the Train-to-Ingrain alliance (www.train-to-ingrain.com).
Dr. Coates has over 40 years experience as a leader,
manager and HR professional. Copyright © 2006, Performance
Support Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This article may be
reproduced for internal educational purposes only. Embodiment
of this material in products or resale in any form is strictly
prohibited.
Appendix
The advantage of using a highly flexible automated feedback
system such as 20/20 Insight GOLD is that it supports much
more than traditional 360-degree feedback. It’s a virtual
platform for a variety customized survey applications, such as
the following:
Individual Surveys
- Measuring performance improvement – Administer
customized surveys based on course objectives before and
after training to determine if the skills taught in training
transfer to improved performance on the job.
- Leadership development – Diagnose skill strengths and
areas for development of executives, managers and
supervisors.
- Managers’ coaching skills – Find out how effective
managers are at coaching their direct reports about
on-the-job performance.
- Individual skill development – Have team members give
each other feedback about personal leadership, team
interaction and workplace skills.
Team and Organization Surveys
-
Team development – Assess team issues by collecting input
from a variety of
customers and stakeholders.
-
Needs assessment – Study aggregate performance data to
decide how much to
invest for training and development programs.
-
Organizational climate surveys – Collect information about
the organization's
vision, values, policies, structure, communication and
management support.
-
Post-training survey of organizational support – Survey
participants of your
training programs to find out if the current policies and
systems support the
application of new skills.
-
Customer satisfaction surveys – Get feedback from
customers to find out what
you need to change to create loyal customers.
Special Applications
-
Competency development – Get feedback about draft
competency lists. Ask
stakeholders to rate the importance of the behaviors.
-
Market Research – When you’re considering a new product or
service, gather
input first from potential and current customers to find out
what they really want.
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