With many people now working away from the office, does 360 Feedback for hybrid teams really work?
In this video, I cover the following themes:
- When and when not to use 360 Feedback in virtual and hybrid teams
- How to prepare virtual and hybrid teams to get the best out of 360 feedback
- Upskilling team leaders in using 360 effectively across their teams New ways of working
There are many different team models in the workplace now
- Employees who work from the office, full or part-time
- Employees who work remotely/at home, fully or part-time, and
- Employees who work some of their hours remotely, and others in the office
360 Degree Feedback is about observing and giving each other feedback. The challenge is, how do you do this in virtual or hybrid team when people are not in the same place at all times.
The old versus the new way of working
For most employees in the past, they worked together in an office. They saw each other every day, both formally and informally.
Now we work in offices. But because many now work virtually, we also see our team colleagues in one to one video calls and conversations. And we’re all familiar with the group video call, for team meetings, briefings and training. Managers are now having to adapt to the new way of working with one to one online discussions, appraisal and coaching.
In addition to different physical places, hybrid and virtual employees can also choose to work at different times, subject to their role.
When to use 360 Degree Feedback 360 Feedback for hybrid teams
- In hybrid teams who have worked together for at least 3 months – ideally 6 to 12 months
- Where the team has clear, shared goals
- The team leader should be common to all the team
With these 3 factors in place, the 360 Feedback will be more accurate and relevant.
On the other hand, 360 is less likely to work in hybrid teams
- Who have worked together for less than 3 months
- Where their goals are individual goals and they don’t need to work closely to achieve goals
- There are different team leaders or project managers
If we can get it right, 360 is a great development tool for hybrid teams, and team leaders
For teams who are in different locations, 360 feedback can build and develop critical connections. It enables behaviour and goal-based conversations. 360 also offers ideas for Development Action Points.
Leaders and managers of hybrid teams need feedback on a regular basis even more that leaders of office-based teams. Managing hybrid teams is challenging, and a 360 can offer feedback on how the team leader delegates, coaches and motivates their team.
The challenges for hybrid teams, and solutions
Different locations – how to gather the feedback
Online feedback that can be accessed through mobile devices, as well as PCs, supports 360 for employees in different locations
Not the same opportunity to observe colleagues at work
by creating a bespoke 360 feedback that focuses on the behaviours teams are able to see, the feedback will be more effective. The statements should also be observable behaviours that are specific and measurable.
Ensuring quality and consistency of feedback
This is achieved by doing lots of preparation with both the people receiving feedback and their respondents. Key points include:
- Explaining the purpose and desired outcomes of the 360
- Showing the 360 questions and output reports – the reports are especially important to demonstrate that the feedback will be shown anonymously
- Briefing for the receivers of the feedback on the reports, and how to interpret and use their feedback
- Training for respondents on how to give feedback using the 360 tool provided – and how to make their feedback helpful and constructive
Team leaders and 360
Often team leaders don’t know how to work with 360 feedback to support and coach their teams. Therefore providing training to the team leaders in how to coach 360 feedback and help team members build a development plan are very useful.
Team leader outcomes and 360 Feedback for hybrid teams
When team leaders get their 360, it can really help to offer them one to one discussion about their feedback they’ve received. Their role is crucial for employee performance and engagement, so understanding their own skills is key.
So the answer to the question ‘does 360 Feedback work in hybrid teams? is…yes, it absolutely does. For hybrid teams, under the conditions I’ve described above, and with careful design, planning and communication, 360 Degree Feedback can be a highly effective development tool.
This text is a summary of the video. Please watch the video for more detailed points.
