Free 360 Feedback Tools and Useful Resources

The majority of the following articles are written by the Lumus Team. In some instances we have included articles written by other people where we believe they are a useful reference/ resource. In these instances we have made every effort to reference them back to the original author.

360 Feedback Coaching

360 Degree Feedback Coaching

Why is 360 feedback coaching so important? What do people expect? How should the process be structured? What are the underpinning coaching principles? How does a 360 coach and their coachee get it right?

Making the Most of 360 Degree Feedback - Feedback into Action

360 degree feedback alone is unlikely to bring about significant changes in someone's behaviour. Feedback recipients need to identify ways that they can address and build on the messages received and gain the confidence and commitment to follow through development intentions. This article explores the transition steps involved in successfully converting feedback into performance improvement.

360 Degree Feedback: Heading True North (by John Rice)

At what point should feedback recipients receive their feedback report? This short, interesting article by John Rice builds a strong case for not letting feedback recipients have their reports before the facilitated feedback session.

360 - The Real Story (PDF)

This recently published Lumus article takes a lighter (but true) look at the different ways people deal with 360 degree feedback. It is based on real coaching experiences and offers some practical observations about how different people approach their feedback and how best to coach and support them through it.

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360 General Articles

Calculating ROI on a 360 Feedback Process (by DecisionWise)

Written by DecisionWise, this article makes the point that ROI comes generally not from the 360 assessment itself, but from the action taken as a result of the feedback and then goes to share the improvements experienced in organisations using 360s.

Selecting a 360 Degree Feedback Provider - Guidance for HR Managers

This article aims to assist HR professionals in the selection of 360 degree feedback providers. Through our research, we tried to answer the following questions: 1). what should a Human Resources Manager look for when selecting a 360 degree feedback provider?    2). what makes a 360 degree feedback provider stand out from the crowd?

360 Degree Feedback Tools - At a Glance

For those who are relatively new to using 360s, this article provides a brief history, general overview and what to expect from the latest generation of 360 degree feedback tools. It also explores how they can be used to enhance a range of development interventions including Leadership and Talent Management Programmes, Performance Coaching and Team Development Events.

Making Training Stick

Line Managers play a major role in preparing their staff for training courses and supporting the transfer of learning back in to the work place. Up to now, the quality and effectiveness of these pre and post training conversations have been outside the immediate control of trainers, the result being, arguably, the majority of training doesn't stick! This article provides a 21st century solution to supporting Line Managers to turn learning into measurable benefits to their organisation.

Multi-Level 360 Degree Feedback

Lumus has recently created, piloted and deployed an innovative multi-level 360 feedback tool that has been specifically designed to underpin the development and deployment of senior talent within larger organisations. This alternative approach, differs from traditional 360 degree feedback tools in that it describes (and provides feedback on) each management competency area at four levels of performance.

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360 Project Planning

10 Tips for Successful 360 Degree Feedback (by Jo Ajoubi of Track Surveys)

Jo Ajoubi shares her experience of getting 360 right. This includes some useful ideas linked to questionnaire/ question design, report layouts and the use of competency framework statements.

360 Degree Feedback - Principles for Success

Without thoughtful planning and mindful implementation, 360 degree feedback has the potential to be a destructive / negative exercise that misaligns people and devalues feedback. These guiding principles based on over 10 years of practical implementation experience aim to help organisations get 360 right.

Are They Ready for 360 Degree Feedback?

Many organisations embark on their 360 journey without fully considering their 'readiness' to both develop and implement 360 degree feedback, which can result in disappointment and a poor return on investment. This article provides an overarching guide to determining an organisation's readiness, by identifying the four key strategic questions that should be considered if organisations are to 'get 360 right'.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly (by Susan M. Heathfield)

An interesting article from the States. Susan M. Heathfield shares the 'things to avoid' learning from 45 high performing organisations that currently use 360 degree feedback. The article lists both the pitfalls and possible solutions.

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Performance Measurement vs Development

360 Degree Feedback Data - Participant or Organisation Owned?

Historically, 360 degree feedback participants have owned and had full control over who sees their feedback data and how that data is used. There is now a greater drive from organisations for the feedback data to be made available to Line Managers and relevant HR / Training Professionals to support the organisation's development agenda. Transferring ownership from participants raises several inherent problems and this article sets out to raise those issues and offer pragmatic solutions.

The Prudent Path - How to Avoid the Dangers of Using 360 Feedback in Performance Management (by Dennis E. Coates)

In this article, Dennis E. Coates shares his learning from supporting over 300 American organizations to link 360 degree feedback to their appraisal / performance management systems. The article identifies three core principles for getting it right and concludes with some pragmatic implementation suggestions.

Why You Should Think Twice About 360 Performance Appraisals (by Robert H. Kent)

Robert H. Kent explores further the potential issues of sing 360 degree feedback as part of a performance measurement / appraisal process.

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360 Questionnaire Design

360 Questionnaire Design

At the heart of any 360 degree feedback tool is the design of the questionnaire. These notes set out to provide guidance on designing 360 degree feedback questionnaires that will deliver insightful feedback against the things that really matter.

How long is a piece of string? (by Mark Ainsworth, Talent Innovations)

Mark Ainsworth of Talent Innovations shares his research and experience linked to getting the right balance between the length of a 360 degree feedback questionnaire and the depth, breadth and clarity of the feedback obtained. He also includes some useful statistics linked to completion times of multi choice questions and written / free text feedback.

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360 Team Surveys

Team Surveys

Just as individual 360 degree feedback surveys are valuable development components in supporting participants to capitalise on their strengths and identify opportunities for continuing development, 360 degree team surveys are effective tools for providing teams with the insight needed to support their continuing growth and performance improvement.

360-Degree Feedbacks Can Improve Multicultural Teams (by Peter Lee, Birkman 360)

Peter Lee (Birkman 360) identifies 3 key issues that need to be considered when coaching people from different cultures.

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