360 Degree Feedback, Leadership Development Consultant

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Introduction to 360 Degree Feedback ll Benefits of 360 Degree feedback ll
360DF Tools ll Process ll Checklist for Proposal

Introduction to 360 Degree Feedback

360 Degree Feedback is a Multi- Rater Feedback System. Almost every Fortune 500 Company is using this in some form or the other. In this system the candidate is assessed by a number of assessors including his boss, direct reports (subordinates), colleagues, internal customers and some times external customers. The assessment is made on a questionnaire specially designed to measure leadership styles, managerial qualities, impact and other behaviors considered critical for performance. Such feedback from multiple sources provides a credible picture and can be used for various purposes like:

	Providing insights into the strengths and developmental areas of the candidate in terms of the effective performance of roles, activities, styles, traits, qualities, competencies (knowledge, attitudes and skills), impact on others etc.
	Enhancing role clarity and establishing increased accountabilities.
	Identification of developmental needs and preparing development plans more objectively in relation to the current or future roles and performance improvements for an individual or a group of individuals.
	Leadership Development.
	Generating data for various personnel decisions (provided it is decided initially that the feedback is not meant only for the person but also to be shared completely with the organization).
	Culture building and reinforcing other change management efforts and organization effectiveness directed interventions. This may include: TQM efforts, Customer focus or internal customer satisfaction enhancing interventions, Flat structures, Quality enhancing and cost reducing interventions, process changes etc.
	Aligning individual and group goals with organizational vision, values and goals.
	Planning internal customer satisfaction improvement measures.

This review generally supplements the traditional appraisal system and does not replace it.

Benefits of 360 Degree feedback

360-Degree feedback offers several advantages. Some of these include:

	Benefits To The Organisation:

	It provides a more objective and acceptable feedback.
	Very effective for developing leadership and other competencies considered critical for performing various Leadership and Managerial roles effectively.
	Serves as a team-building tool as it is more involving and participative.
	Promotes a culture of openness.
	Promotes total quality with emphasis on internal and external customer orientation
	Results in better quality of HR decisions for training and rewards.
	Helps in identification of competency gaps and planning development interventions.

It is a good supplement to normal appraisals but not a substitute to them.

Benefits To The Individual:

	Serves as a team-building tool as it is more involving and participative.
	Helps to ascertain if your impact on others within the organisation is in the desired manner/direction.
	Enhances self-awareness.
	Helps discover strengths, weaknesses and blind spots.
	Provides direction for change and development.
	Focuses attention on actions and behaviours valued by others; thereby improving work relations.
	Helps discover areas where you have not yet made a significant impact.

Maintaining Anonymity:

TVRLS has no way of identifying who has sent the feedback (except in the case of self assessment). Every questionnaire has only the name of the person seeking feedback and not that of the assessor.

The 360 degree feedback form does not require any of the assessors to mention her/his name. Only the relationship with the individual (in terms of boss, peer, subordinate, etc) needs to be indicated.

TVRLS provides self addressed envelopes so that the feedback can be mailed directly to the Centre for 360 degree feedback at TVRLS.

All forms received by TVRLS are stored at our premises and no member of the concerned organisations are allowed to access or to view any of the forms.

Once the assessors are properly selected by you, generally the data given is considered to be valid. TVRLS does not moderate the feedback and it is difficult to separate out any feedback as invalid. However in case where there is evidence of not having understood the form or casual filling, etc. they are not taken into consideration.

Minor editing is done only in the open ended section so that the identity of the assessor is protected.

The report prepared is considered to be the sole property of the individual. The organization is not given any data unless discussed or indicated otherwise with the organization and made know to the individual beforehand.

TVRLS is bound by professional ethics not to disclose the data at any point of time. Even when the data is used for research conducted at TVRLS, it is completely confidential and the names of the individuals, whose data is being used, are never disclosed.

Need For Follow-up Done To Evaluate Improvements Post-Feedback:

As mentioned earlier, the feedback is meant for your development and treated as confidential but we encourage the participants to share the feedback and action plans with their work group back in the organization.

The organization could take a re-survey after sometime to evaluate the improvements based on the 360 degree feedback. Alternatively action plans prepared could also be included in your annual KRAs.

If there is no organizational intervention on (follow-up) 360 degree feedback, you could on your own initiative write to us and register yourself for the mailed feedback service offered by TVRLS.

360DF Tools

There are several types of instruments (or tools) and different agencies specializing in developing instruments. In India, TVRLS is one of the few agencies specializing in developing such instruments. Its founder, Dr. T. V. Rao was the first to develop and use such instruments while he was at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. This process was initiated by Dr. Rao in the mid-eighties much before it got popularized as 360-degree feedback. TVRLS profiling system is one such instrument based on research work and over 30 years of experience by Dr. Rao.

Instrument for Top & Senior Management:

TVRLS has developed a model for Indian Top and Senior Management in terms of managerial and leadership competencies called the RSDQ model - a model based on four aspects namely, Roles, Styles, Delegation and Qualities. This instrument consists of the following sections:

	Leadership and Managerial Roles questionnaire
	Leadership Styles Questionnaire
	Delegation Questionnaire
	Behaviour Qualities Questionnaire
	Three Open-Eended Questions at the end of the instrument seek feedback on your most dominant strengths and weaknesses along with suggestions for improvement.

Instrument for Young Managers:

Research suggests that the first few years in managerial life lays the foundation for future success. Young managers wanting to build their career and aspiring to be future leaders should make efforts to find out what chemistry they generate, competencies they demonstrate and tasks they are good or poor at performing. TVRLS profiler for Young Managers helps assess whether they are creating the impact in the desired direction. It also points out areas where they need to improve; for assuming higher-level responsibilities.

	Leadership and Managerial Roles Questionnaire
	Behaviour Qualities Questionnaire
	Three Open-Ended Questions

Instrument for HR Professionals:

Attracting and retaining the best people and motivating them to perform are challenges most organisations face. In such circumstances it becomes the primary responsibility of the HR professional to understand and respond to the changing HR needs, develop a climate in the organization conducive to HRD and, create an HR orientation in top management and other line managers. Since the HR department serves as a key support function to each and every department of the organization, the impact HR managers have on others becomes important. This impact can be best evaluated using 360 degree feedback mechanism.

	Leadership and Managerial Roles Questionnaire
	Behaviour Qualities Questionnaire
	Three Open-Ended Questions

Instrument for Club Members:

This instrument is specially designed for individuals who would like to volunteer independently for 360DF profiling. TVRLS has designed a shorter version of the RSQ model (Roles, Styles and Qualities). This will help the individual to get a better idea of their strengths, areas of improvement and the impact that they make on their subordinates, peers and bosses. This instrument can be accessed through our website.