“Qui tacet consentit.” (Translation: Silence means agreement) -Cicero Ovid Seneca Dispersion, agreement, or variance within rater groups is important to measure and report back to participants in 360-degree feedback reports because current research suggests only moderate correlation within rater scores (Nowack, 2009). At Envisia Learning, Inc., we provide up to three different types of metrics of […]

“A pleasant illusion is better than a harsh reality.” -Christian Nevell Bovee Open-ended comments have some clear benefits and disadvantages. Participants generally find comments from open-ended questions useful and a great way of clarifying the sometimes confusing quantitative scores (e.g., when rater agreement is low but average scores are moderate or moderately high). Open-ended comments […]

 “We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.” -Mother Teresa Most researchers support the idea that some level of training is required to professionally and ethically provide feedback using […]

“What one hides is worth neither more nor less than what one finds. And what one hides from oneself is worth neither more nor less than what one allows others to find.”  -Andre Breton In most 360-degree feedback processes used for developmental purposes, the participant is the only person who gets to keep a copy […]

“Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.” -Jose Ortega y Gasset Personality does indeed influence how participants react to 360-degree feedback, how motivated they will be to act on the suggestions and observations of others, and how likely they will be to implement and sustain new behaviors […]

 “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” -Wayne Dyer One form of “cognitive distortion” that is common in 360-degree feedback processes occurs when the participant rates him or herself significantly lower than how they are perceived and rated by others. These “under-estimators” are actually viewed as possessing […]

 “Everything I do, I feel is genius. Whether it is or it isn’t.” -Rufus Wainwright It has been estimated that 65 to 75 percent of the employees in any given organization report that the worst aspect of their job is their immediate boss. In fact, estimates of the base rate for managerial incompetence in corporate […]

“It is better to make many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” -Old Chines Proverb The initial 360-degree feedback provides a benchmark and baseline for the talent. It is hoped that the results of the 360-degree feedback program will result in enhanced performance and […]

 “The general consensus seems to be that I don’t act at all.” -Gary Cooper Average scores are typically used by vendors in 360-degree feedback reports.  However, without a way to discern outliers, polarized scores and rater agreement, the interpretation of average scores can be quite misleading in reports. It is not uncommon to use average […]

  “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” -Warren Buffet Let’s be honest — Not all organizations are “ready” for 360-degree feedback. All too often it gets introduced in the middle of a very large organizational change (e.g., merger or acquisition) or some other untimely organization-wide event. 8 […]