Why do some organisations struggle to get a 100% feedback response with 360, while others consistently achieve 80 to 100% response? If you want better response rates for your 360 Feedback, here are my tips from experience.
Lots of quality communication, to all stakeholders, more than once
People don’t know what to expect, or they get half the message ,or worse, they’ve had a bad experience before and don’t want to repeat it
Giving feedback is a voluntary activity – so we have to make it painlesss and rewarding
Now we can’t give out prizes but we can create some intrinsic reward for completing colleague feedback. For instance, you can make a competition out of it: the team that completes the most 360s the team of the month award. Associate the feedback with something positive.
One of our clients has created a brilliant one minute video for participants in a development programme. In addition, they link feedback with positive outcomes, development opportunities and an accreditation if they are able to get a required level and quality of feedback from their teams.
Short, relevant questionnaires and simple processes
Keep the process simple and the feedback questionnaire short and very relevant – if you over engineer the process, or ask too many questions, you’ll get a drop in engagement and response to your 360 feedback. Therefore, keep the process stuff in the background, and simple for users. So if you want to get better response rates for your 360 Feedback, ensure it’s easy, relevant and not too long.
A strong sense of purpose or direction from leaders or informal influencers
I’ve seen it a number of times. Senior leaders want other to have 360 ‘done’ to them, but don’t want to undergo the process themselves. What a terrible message…it says….’I’m too important to ask for feedback’. So the underlying message is ‘I don’t need feedback as I’m doing everything right anyway’.
We worked with a company in UAE recently. Their first 360 was for the senior management team/board of directors. The group were clear on their objectives, and they clearly communicated these. They also demonstrated commitment by being the first group to get feedback. That was a great message. Guess how much feedback each member of the 9-strong team got? 100%. This meant they got full ratings and written feedback from every person they asked.
Real trust that the right things will happen
This is a tough one: if there is an underlying lack of trust, you will struggle to get people to engage with any feedback programme. Employees may be reluctant to participate, even if told their feedback will be anonymous. They may fear repercussions from their colleagues. Or they will worry about what will happen to the data. Will they be identified? Or will their colleague suffer consequences as a result of their feedback? And will the senior management be able to see what they’ve said…?
An organisation we’ve worked with for many years has built up trust through consistent use of the 360 tool. They provide a confidential process where the coach sees the written comments (which are anonymous). However the MD only sees the ratings so gets an overview but no detail. All senior staff get 360 and all staff contribute. Over time, trust has built up for the 360. It’s now a key part of the annual review and development planning in this company.
Pulling and pushing
Let’s be honest. 360 Feedback needs a lot of pulling and pushing. No matter how lively a feedback culture you have in your organisation, people are busy.
While many will be enthusiastic, others will be less so or have less time to prioritise. So being able to remind them to complete using different channels, is quite a nice pull strategy. The strategy could include personal emails asking them to complete; quick reminders in team meetings (don’t forget to do your team-mates’ 360s); short announcements or videos on the intranet. In addition quick case studies or quotations on notice boards can help.
100% engagement – or close – with 360 is definitely achievable – I’ve seen it in action. To repeat, if you want to get better response rates for your 360, keep it relevant, simple and painless.
To summarise, common features of organisations that get high engagement and high quality 360:
-They either include the SMT or start the 360 with the SMT as the first group to undertake the feedback.
-There is strong and personal testimony from leaders and people with influence.
-The 360 has been designed to be a simple and uncomplicated process.
-Questionnaires are relatively short , and they ask clear, concise and behavioural questions
-They put a lot of effort into preparing and communicating the whys, as well as the hows of the 360
-Follow and chase up includes multi channel reminders and communications during the process. The organisation involves local managers and HR colleagues in the discussions with key sponsors and promoters.
-There’s a positive and feel good factor around the 360. They use reward and recognition for team leaders and teams that are active and advocates for the 360.
Here are more guidelines from the BPS which are really helpful too.
