Many of us are familiar with performance reviews, but may not be as clear on the role of 360 feedback.
Performance reviews are usually conducted annually, and largely reflect the input of an employee’s direct supervisor – a single perspective. While those reviews are important, they often fall short in providing feedback that leads to the professional development of the employee. Typically, an annual review is focused on the performance employee is displaying regarding their current job responsibilities.
360s are not performance reviews. Instead, they are designed to help anyone from a CEO to a retail store associate develop and hone their professional capacities. While a standard review is often focused on the job function an employee is fulfilling, a 360 review is more about the employee themself. As such, it is more personal and can be very powerful.
The 360 tools we use at Authentic Impact provide the combined perspective of the employee’s manager(s), several peers and (if applicable) direct reports about the frequency with which the employee displays teamwork, communication, leadership and/or management skills. In addition, the reviewers are asked to comment on what they would like to see more of from the employee, and make one or two suggestions on things they might do to improve their impact.
The goal is for reviewers to provide feedback to help the employee improve and focus their development. This broader perspective helps to balance the feedback and create a clear picture for the employee about their behavior, impact and skills.