“The problem today is one of too many choices, few of which compel but all of which distract.” -Joel Bryant The number of items on a scale is often a point of confusion for individuals looking for appropriate 360-degree tools. With all the research that has been done on this subject, there is no definitive […]

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” -Shirley Chisholm “Best practices” in 360-degree feedback processes suggest that the greater transfer of learning and goal setting occurs when a manager or coach helps participants understand and debrief their reports (Nowack, 2009). All too often, vendors […]

 “We now have what I like to call the buffet table of choices; we are customizing to our specific needs.” -Pamela Peeke When looking for the appropriate 360-degree feedback tool, many people are often uncertain about whether they should use a customized 360-degree feedback tool or just buy a vendor’s off-the-shelf tool. Most people think […]

 “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” -Thomas Monson An interesting study by Robert Hooijberg and colleagues, looked at what makes coaching effective, surveyed 232 managers from diverse organizations (Hooijberg, & Lane, 2009) ((Hooijberg, R. & Lane, N. (2009). The five-factor model […]

“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” -Japanese Proverb “Best practices” in using 360-degree feedback suggest that having someone debrief the report is important to manage potential negative emotions surrounding the data, increase the understanding of rater differences, and facilitate developmental planning (Nowack, 2005). However, the process […]

“The trouble with measurement is its seeming simplicity.” -Unknown With the various types of scales that are used for survey and 360 measurement, how does one determine which one is best? Is there even a “best” response scale? Many studies suggest that response scales have a large impact on the 360-degree feedback data and some […]

“No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person’s enemies say about him.” -Napoleon Hill The goal of 360-degree feedback is to provide useful, accurate, and constructive information to employees to leverage their strengths and focus on potential development areas.  If employees are too new to a job role or organization, […]

  “Learning is more effective when it is an active rather than a passive process.” -Kurt Lewin In general, it is highly recommended that participants be involved with the respondents of their 360. For one thing, it is important to communicate to those they invite to be raters about the nature of the 360-degree initiative […]

  “You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” -Anthony Robbins   Multi-rater or 360-degree feedback systems that have an action plan linked to them have been shown to be more successful than those that do […]

“If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” -Max Ehrman All vendors tend to aggregate results from different rater groups in 360-degree feedback reports in some manner to facilitate the interpretation, understanding, and acceptance of data.  Most commonly, aggregate data […]