The 360 Degree View on 360-Degree Feedback

Feedback is crucial for development, growth, and improvement. It is used in a wide variety of contexts: students incorporate feedback from teachers to improve skills and understanding; patients use feedback from doctors to improve health; and of course, organizations rely on employee and customer feedback to improve work processes, culture, and a variety of other factors that impact business success.

The 360-degree feedback model is particularly useful for leaders and managers. Where it differs from a standard performance review is that it draws on feedback from multiple sources — including subordinates, supervisors, peers, and external partners — collected in a confidential, anonymous format so raters can be candid without fear of reprisal. Most 360 feedback programs invite eight to twelve raters to complete a short online questionnaire covering critical workplace competencies, giving the participant a balanced yet manageable set of perspectives. It provides managers and leaders the opportunity to understand how they are perceived by others, how the perceptions of others align or misalign with their self-perception, and the strengths they can build on while working to manage or minimize weaknesses.

What advantages does 360-degree feedback offer senior managers and leaders?

Senior managers and leaders often struggle to get candid input. Common barriers include:

• Physical and hierarchical distance from frontline employees

• Questions about the motives behind negative comments

• Reliance on past strengths that may not meet current goals

• Blind spots that limit self-awareness

By gathering multiple viewpoints, a 360 feedback assessment helps leaders confront these barriers and turn fresh insight into higher performance.

The 360 feedback model incorporates feedback from multiple sources, including:

• Peers and colleagues

• Direct reports

• Supervisors

• External stakeholders (clients or partners)

Conflicting feedback is one criticism of the 360 feedback model’s validity. However, this can be a source of meaningful information; if all respondents had the same perception, there would be no need to ask more than one person to conduct the assessment. While 360 feedback data is subjective and based on raters’ interaction with the subject, by understanding the similarities and differences in how the individual is perceived by peers versus direct reports, or internal versus external work relationships, the subject can better understand how his or her words and actions translate in different environments.

Most organizations will use a leadership model or set of competencies for designing a 360 assessment. Aligning the assessment with the organization’s approach to leadership provides a level of consistency and context for both the raters and the subjects. It also helps ensure the feedback aligns with the organization’s priorities and culture.

Individuals who participate in 360 feedback surveys report benefits from both quantitative, scaled data, and qualitative, open-ended comment responses. The quantitative data enables easy comparisons between the subject’s self-rating versus the ratings of others on relevant dimensions, while the qualitative feedback provides context and detail. Comment questions also provide an opportunity for raters to explain why they provided the ratings they did. The focus is less about a score and more about the subject getting feedback they can understand and apply.

What challenges come with 360-degree feedback surveys?

Organizations that use 360 assessments have the responsibility to set the appropriate context so results are interpreted and used appropriately. Managers and leaders should treat the results first as developmental input, even though some organizations now fold 360 data into promotion or pay decisions, so the conversation stays centered on growth rather than judgment. For 360-degree feedback to have the greatest impact, participants need to identify simple actions they can take to leverage their strengths and opportunities while minimizing weaknesses and threats. A successfully executed 360 assessment provides the participant with actionable feedback that helps inform a simple action plan. But more importantly, it helps them adopt a growth mindset.

Surveys with a 360-degree feedback design are subjective by design, focusing on observable workplace behaviors and competencies rather than hard metrics. Despite this, a well-crafted assessment offers a valid snapshot of how others experience the participant; even conflicting views create space for reflection and growth. One strategy is to focus on observable attributes; rather than asking about a subject’s priorities, values, motives, or beliefs, the 360 should focus on the individual’s behaviors. For example, to measure integrity, asking raters if the individual keeps commitments is a more clear-cut measure than asking if they have a clear set of values.

Why include self-assessments in 360-degree feedback surveys?

When the subject conducts a self-assessment using the same dimensions or criteria as the other raters, a comparison between how the individual perceives themselves versus how they are perceived by others can be made.

Self-rating can provide a form of SWOT analysis.

Comparing self-ratings against rater data provides a personal SWOT analysis:

• Agreed Strengths: High scores from both self and others.

• Agreed Weaknesses: Low scores from both self and others.

• Blind Spots (Threats): High self-rating vs. low rater-rating.

• Unrealized Strengths (Opportunities): Low self-rating vs. high rater-rating.

This knowledge offers the opportunity to develop an action plan that stresses maximizing strengths, minimizing weaknesses, addressing blind spots, and leveraging opportunities.

In the right organizational context, 360 degree feedback can bring about significant organizational change, by equipping and enabling individuals with greater self-awareness and the tools they need to rise to the next level in their work, relationships, and leadership.

Frequently asked questions

What is 360-degree feedback?

360-degree feedback is a survey that gathers ratings and comments about an employee’s behaviors from several groups — manager, peers, direct reports, and sometimes customers. Comparing those views with the employee’s self-rating highlights strengths and growth areas.

What are the main parts of a 360-degree feedback survey?

The survey has four key inputs:

• Self-assessment

• Manager feedback

• Peer feedback

• Direct report feedback

Some programs also add customer input. Combining these views gives a broad picture of on-the-job behaviors.

What is an example of useful 360-degree feedback?

A peer comment might read, “You always meet deadlines and keep your word.” A direct report could add, “You share credit with the team and listen to ideas.” Specific, behavior-based notes like these help the recipient decide what to keep doing or change.

What is the difference between 360 and 720-degree feedback?

360-degree feedback uses internal views — self, manager, peers, and direct reports. 720-degree feedback repeats the process and adds external voices such as customers, suppliers, or auditors, plus a follow-up survey to track progress. The wider scope and second round make 720 more time-intensive.

Need help seeing the blind spots in your organization?

At Perceptyx, our goal is to help your business see unrecognized opportunities for improvement. Our AI-powered helps you gain the insights you need to uncover opportunities for increasing engagement, boosting productivity, and improving your bottom line. Get in touch and let us show you how.