Go the Full circle to truly look at yourself (360 Feedback)
Aust. Financial Review 30.1.07
“The 360 degree review is growing in popularity, but the question is not should we do it, but should we share it. It takes courage to invite constructive criticism from staff, peers & your managers, but even more so to voluntarily share feedback with the people who report to you.
A badly handled 360 degree review can have disastrous consequences. It is an intensely personal process, and is often the fist time the subject of the review has faced up to feedback about themselves. Because people’s self image often bears little resemblance to the way others see them. The results can be surprising, exhilarating, or soul destroying.”
I personally feel that whilst many have the emotional maturity to handle feedback and improve their style, some become more defensive and relationships can be affected.
“Anne Junor from the University of NSW is wary pf 360 degree reviews and recalls surveys of government employees who say they would never give honest feedback about their superiors for fear of retaliation”. ‘I’m not saying it doesn’t work, but it certainly needs a supportive culture and it needs a superior who is good at giving feedback and providing development,’ she says. ‘It is extremely easy to play politics in giving feedback, if there is no accountability in providing the feedback, ‘ she says. ‘I think there should be accountability for any comments made.’
My conclusion is that the process certainly needs to be handled sensitively and supportively.