How to Conduct 180 and 360 Appraisals

Introduction Appraisals are now used, almost universally, as the main channel for providing feedback to individuals on how to develop their performance. Traditionally, feedback in appraisal follows top down from the line manager to the individual being

appraised. Although this is valuable, there is an opportunity to broaden the appraisal to include:
Upward feedback from team members to their line manager Feedback from colleagues, mentors or from contacts outside the organisation, such as clients or suppliers. This has obvious benefits: The workplace is flatter and increasingly project focused with individuals working in matrix structures or remotely from home. Line managers typically have less contact with their direct reports and so need information from other sources if they

are to provide valuable feedback.

Direct reports can use their own experience to give particularly valuable feedback to their line manager. Definitions 180 Appraisal extends the traditional appraisal process to make the

feedback process two-way. Feedback from team members can be provided to their line manager on a one-to-one basis during the individuals appraisal discussion, or it can be collated and presented as group feedback from all team members.
360 Appraisal involves capturing feedback about an individual from a

range of people (respondents) including his or her line manager, colleagues and direct reports. The data is then compared with the individuals own assessment of their performance. In some models, external contacts and partners may also be involved.
Traditional Appraisal
1800 Appraisal

3600 Appraisal

Line Manager

Line Manager

Line Manager

External Contact(s)

Individual

Colleague(s)

Direct Report

Direct Report(s)

Direct Report(s)

What to consider 180 and 360 appraisal processes both need careful planning and management. Providing respondents with a questionnaire will help them to structure t heir

feedback and encourage them to focus on the individuals behaviour and performance rather than their personality.
Key points to consider as you design the process include:

1. What Data you should gather

2. How to design the feedback questionnaire

3. How to give feedback

1. Deciding what data to gather

Two commonly used formats for questionnaires are:

i.

Stop/Start/Continue Questionnaire

This uses three basic questions: What would you like the person to START doing? - Something they dont

currently do but would be helpful if they did What would you like the person to STOP doing? - Something they currently do but isnt helpful What would you like the person to CONTINUE doing? - Something they already do that you would like to reinforce

ii.

Development Questionnaire

This seeks feedback against a set of competences that are aligned with business need such as:

People Management
Problem Solving Interpersonal Skills Leadership. People Management Problem Solving Interpersonal Skills Leadership Decision Taking

2. Designing the questionnaire

The questionnaire should be easy to understand. Here are some tips: Tell respondents what will happen to the feedback they provide, emphasizing

whether it will be provided directly to the individual, or whether it will be collated with the feedback from other respondents to preserve their anonymity.

Keep the questionnaire simple and short - it is more likely to be completed if it is easy to fill in. Avoid multiple questions e.g. Is the manager willing to listen and do they respond appropriately? This forces people to give one response to two subjects. Use appropriate scales - ensure enough scope for people to score their response, but avoid giving people the option to select the middle ground. Use quality and frequency scales - How good is it and how often do they do it?

Very Good

Good

Average

Fairly Poor

Poor

Frequency

Quality

Too Often

Correct

Not Often enough

Excels

Good

Some improvement needed

More improvement needed

Provide instructions for completing and returning the questionnaire - make sure these are clear and easily understood. Pilot - try the questionnaire out with a smal l selection of staff. Review success

and make any improvements

3. Managing the feedback process

The feedback process is the key to the success of 180 or 360 appraisal

feedback. You need to consider whether:

The individual should receive the completed feedback questionnaire(s) or a

report that aggregates the feedback. The latter is preferable as it preserves the anonymity of the respondents.
Direct reports should provide feedback to their line manager face-to-face. Some organisations see that the easiest next step for their appraisal process is to encourage upward as well as downward feedback during the appraisal discussion, (see How to Prepare an Appraisal, for a more detailed description of the appraisal discussion). This can be a difficult option as without an open culture and a high level of interpersonal skills, individuals may find it difficult to provide honest feedback to their line manager. The feedback is provided to the individual by his or her line manager or by an independent third party. This works particularly well if the third party is skilled in giving feedback and can go on to act as a coach.

180 and 360 Appraisal and Investors in People

The Investors in People indicators provide a clear framework for the development of an appraisal system. Check the effectiveness of your system by working through the following indicators and associated evidence. Main Indicator Indicator 2 Learning and development objectives.

is

planned

to

achieve

the

organisations

Evidence: Top managers can explain the organisations learning and development needs, the plans and resources in place to meet them, how these link to achieving specific objectives and how the impact will be evaluated. Managers can explain team learning and development needs, the activities planned to meet them, how these link to achieving specific team objectives and how the impact will be evaluated. People can describe how they are involved in identifying their learning and development needs and the activities planned to meet them. People can explain what their learning and development activities should achieve for them, their team and the organisation. Completing an 180 appraisal is not an essential part of the Investors in People

Standard. As it says, it simply requires training and development needs to be reviewed.

Additional Indicators Indicator 5 Managers are effective in leading, managing and developing people. Evidence: Managers can explain how they are effective in leading, managing and developing people. Managers can give examples of how they give people constructive feedback on their performance regularly and when appropriate. People can explain how their managers are effective in leading, managing and developing them. People can give examples of how they receive constructive feedback on their performance regularly and when appropriate. Indicator 7 People are encouraged to take ownership and responsibility by being involved in decision-making. Evidence: Managers can describe how they promote a sense of ownership and responsibility by encouraging people to be involved in decision-making, both individually and through representative groups, where they exist. People can describe how they are encouraged to be involved in decisionmaking that affects the performance of individuals, teams and the organisation, at a level that is appropriate to their role. People can describe how they are encouraged to take ownership and responsibility for decisions that affect the performance of individuals, teams and the organisation, at a level that is appropriate to their role.