What are the elements of an effective 360 Degree Feedback system?

An effective online 360 Degree Feedback system is the backbone of a successful process that supports the development of employees, managers and leaders. When deciding what system to use, and what elements of a 360 system to take into consideration, it is worth thinking about the different stakeholders and their needs:For 360 participants and their raters, an effective 360 system: Provides clear and transparent information to the participants, what they need to do, when they need to do it, and what will happen at each stage of the process. Allows both participants and their raters to log in and provide feedback for the right colleague easily and without confusion – a single portal is preferable to a different email for each online form, which can create frustration when raters need to complete multiple feedback questionnaires. Provides easy-to-navigate online questionnaires and menus that clearly show the user where they are in the system and how much of the questionnaire they have completed – and how much more there is to complete. Generates clean, clear reports with graphics and charts that provide summary information (i.e. that flag up key feedback messages).  The report should also provide a more granular level of data to support the key messages, as well  A good report will also provide the ability to reflect on the feedback, set goals and create a practical development plan for the participant.Reports that are too complex or contain too much statistical information can confuse people who don’t understand statistics and create in them an immediately negative response to the whole feedback exercise.  Even if people understand statistics, the sheer volume of information can be off-putting. On the other hand, numerical and statistical reports can also be a magnet for the highly analytical type of participant, who grabs their calculator, and gleefully starts checking every rating for accuracy, taking attention away from what the feedback is telling them, and giving them an opportunity to explain it away ‘logically’.  For HR and Training/Talent professionals, the system Enables the creation and editing of 360 using templates, so that you don’t have to start from scratch each time. Makes communication to participants, raters and other stakeholders consistent and easy to do. Provides the ability to create both rating and free text questions, and to place these where required within the overall online questionnaire.  The system should also provide flexibility in reporting relationships (e.g. peers, boss, reports etc.). Gives lots of flexibility in the process to suit different groups and programmes, for example, allowing some participants to choose their own raters, whilst others may have their raters chosen for them On the administration side, the system should allow the administrator to view progress and completion easily and in real time, quickly send reminders where questionnaires have not been completed, and deal with forgotten passwords and incorrect emails automatically, rather than manually. The ability to tag participants and their raters with organisational categories, and create group reports, is also a system feature that will help with organisational and management reporting, and measuring ROI. What about IT issues?There are different options for 360 Degree Feedback systems available on the market: Some systems are ‘online’ for the users, but require the administrator to load a programme on to her or his PC or laptop.  This can create difficulties in organisations where downloads are not permitted, and also means using more computer resources, potential memory issues etc. Other online 360 systems are fully online, that is, both the users and the administration is accessed completely online with usernames and passwords.  This is a much more flexible and easy option as there is no requirement for downloads.  It also means that upgrades and new features are automatically loaded when they become available.Security and confidentiality are both critical features of the 360 Degree Feedback system. Security is about making sure the system is only accessible by authorised people.  To be as secure as possible, a 360 Degree Feedback system should be hosted on a professional, secure website, allow access to users through system-generated usernames and passwords, provide usernames and passwords on request (not in bulk emails), and limit administration access to  a small number of authorised users in the organisation.  It is also a good idea to limit personal data of participants and raters only to that required for the 360 Degree Feedback exercise. Keeping the feedback confidential is an important factor in the take-up of the 360 by participants and their colleagues, and ensuring people trust the system in the future: the organisation should ensure that the only people who see the individual’s 360 report are the participant her/himself, named HR or Training professionals (as part of the 360 debriefing or coaching), and the line manager, again if this is relevant to how the feedback is going to be used.  This is an important part of the communications about the 360, and should also be reflected in how the online system itself is designed and operated. Related to this is the concept of anonymity, i.e. not attributing feedback to specific raters: The 360 Degree Feedback process, online screens and report should be designed in such a way that anonymity  of reviewers is protected (apart from line manager’s feedback which is normally attributable to the line manager).   Whilst there are some organisations who allow some or all raters’ feedback to be identified, it is more common and best practice, especially when first introducing 360 Degree Feedback, to provide anonymity in the process and in the feedback reports.