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How Frequently Should 360 Degree Feedback be Administered?
Increasingly, organizations are realizing how valuable 360
degree feedback is for developing their leaders and for reinforcing
desired leadership styles that are aligned with company strategies.
They are also realizing the value of repeating 360 degree
feedback so managers can track their development over time.
The question of how frequently these 360 assessments should
be administered often comes up. This Insight white
paper provides guidelines to answer that question.
General Guidelines
When 360 degree feedback is used primarily for development
is not explicitly linked to some other HR system such as performance
appraisal, then a 12-18 month cycle time is recommended. The
main consideration is that managers need time between 360
surveys to work on their development plans — to make
real progress in increasing their skills in those areas they
chose to focus on. A second important consideration is that
more frequent administration of 360 degree feedback runs the
risk of over-burdening raters with too many surveys.
On the other hand, the cycle time for 360 degree feedback
generally should not be longer than 24 months because the
assessment and development program would lose momentum, and
managers benefit from more frequent feedback. This is particularly
true for 360 assessments that contain many items for which
engaging in the target behaviors is more the issue than actual
skill development. For example, if a manager gets low marks
on an item such as "provides recognition and expresses
appreciation when employees do a good job," it is probably
more important that he/she simply increase the frequency of
that behavior rather than becoming more skilled at it.
When 360 assessments are explicitly linked to some other
HR system, then the cycle time of that system will often drive
the frequency of 360 degree feedback administration. For example,
some companies include 360 degree feedback as part of their
performance management process. The 360 assessment results
should be available prior to review discussions, not afterwards.
Note that this doesn't necessarily mean that 360 degree feedback
would have to be administered every year, but a 12- or 24-month
cycle time would probably make more sense than an 18-month
cycle time (assuming the appraisals were done annually).
The Need for Flexibility
The general rule of thumb is to administer 360 degree feedback
about every 12-18 months, unless the cycle time of related
HR systems requires something different. However, organizations
may find that flexible practices concerning the frequency
of 360 assessments are more appropriate. That is, the cycle
time won't always be the same for all managers. Here are some
examples of situations where a different cycle time might
be appropriate:
- A manager has been in a new leadership position for six
months, and she and her boss would like to conduct a 360
degree feedback survey to ensure things are on track, and
to take early action in those areas where they are not.
- A manager has been in the same position for six years,
and there has been little turnover in the staff. The recent
360 degree feedback report indicated several areas to work
on, but nothing serious. 24 months may be appropriate for
the next formal 360 survey.
- A manager's 360 degree feedback report indicated serious
deficiencies in areas that are impacting his effectiveness
as a leader, and those perceptions are consistent across
all roles (except self). 12 months may be too long before
the next
survey is administered.
There may be general guidelines and practices in place regarding
the frequency conducting 360 degree feedback initiatives,
but there is also flexibility to do something different when
the situation warrants it. The flexibility will add some administration
costs in managing the 360 assessment system, but the returns
will be worth it.
Getting 360 Degree Feedback More Frequently
Without question, accurate feedback is extremely valuable
to managers, and the more frequent the feedback, the better.
Regardless of the 360 degree feedback cycle time, managers
shouldn't depend on formal 360 assessments as their only source
of feedback. Managers should proactively solicit feedback
on an ongoing basis.
How should managers do this? Simply by asking people. If
a manager is working on an area where his/her boss is the
best source, he/she should simply ask the boss, "I've
been working on this. How am I doing? Am I making progress?
What else can I do?" Furthermore, openly asking those
kinds of questions of peers and direct reports not only provides
useful feedback, it also promotes a healthy climate of good
communication and trust.
The premise underlying the question of how frequently 360
degree feedback should be administered is that we're talking
about the same survey administered at two points in time for
tracking trends. But this doesn't always have to be the case.
It may be desirable in some situations to administer a sub-set
of the 360 degree feedback items sooner than the next full
survey.
Related Best Practices
Based on more than three decades of experience in conducting
360 degree feedback in all types of organizations, Censeo
offers these best practices related to cycle times for consideration:
- Look for ways to involve the managers being assessed
to help determine when the next 360 assessment will be administered.
The main purpose of most 360 degree feedback programs is
to help managers develop, and how much development actually
occurs depends heavily on how much they buy in to the process.
Increasing involvement in all aspects of the 360 assessment
process, including the cycle time, will increase motivation
and commitment.
- Also look for ways the bosses of the managers being assessed
can have input on 360 assessment cycle times. They are responsible
for growing the talent on their teams, and 360 degree feedback
is a powerful tool to help them do just that. They should
have some say about when the tool will be used.
- The two previous points notwithstanding, don't allow
either managers or their bosses to opt out of the 360 degree
feedback process because they don't think it's worthwhile,
they're too busy doing their "real jobs," or they
are trying to avoid the feedback.
- Inform managers that the 360 assessment will
be re-administered in the future. That awareness will in
itself help spur more development action.
- Don't get trapped into administering the next round of
360 degree feedback just because "it's time,"
when it's actually the wrong time. There
may be compelling reasons not to conduct a 360 assessment
for a particular manager at a given point in time, or even
for delaying all 360 degree feedback in the company for
a while (e.g., massive layoffs just announced). Be careful,
though, not to wait for the perfect time, because that may
never occur.
As a final comment, while the basic question this document
addresses is important, it's not nearly as important as many
other 360 degree feedback-related questions. Probably the
most salient of those questions is, "What else can we
do to help managers take action on their development after
they get their 360 degree feedback reports?" Companies
that can make progress on that question, even if they don't
completely answer it, will significantly increase the impact
and value of their 360 assessment initiatives.
© 2007 Censeo Corporation
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