How 360 Degree Feedback Drives Leadership Development

Posted on May 12, 2024 at 10:05 PM

Companies are always looking for methods to sharpen the ability of their leaders to perform their duties. One of the most powerful methods for that is through 360 degree feedback. In this article, we will look into what 360 degree feedback is and the role it plays in leadership development.

What is 360 degree Feedback?

360 degree feedback is a process that gives leaders reports and assessments from their colleagues, peers, employees, and direct superiors, and also provides an assessment of their leadership styles. 

This review is then collected and put together to form a general picture of how a leader has performed. Unlike the normal feedback mechanism, 360 degree feedback derives its information from multiple sources, hence providing a complete perspective on an individual's performance as a leader.

You can gather information through a survey or a questionnaire or provide questions for individuals to respond to, choose the easiest way you feel you can contact your staff best and go with it, there's no one answer fits all, the purpose is to establish that communication.

How Does 360 degree Feedback Drive Leadership Development?

One of the things you didn’t know about Sustainable Human Resources Management is: As a manager, the first step to building a good relationship with your employees is to create a channel of deep communication, where you can get their input on things and gather insights into their mindset and how you can help each other grow. 

That's where 360 degree feedback comes in as a source of confidential and honest evaluations. There are many pros and cons to 360 degree feedback, however, here are a few examples of how it can drive leadership:

• Understanding the parts that need to be improved.

Leadership development is a key result of 360 degree feedback because it helps leaders understand what needs to be improved. Managers are typically unable to objectively identify their strengths, weaknesses, and the areas they need to work on. 

Human resources training courses Dubai say that through getting evaluations from different anonymous sources, leaders can see themselves from other perspectives and know their strengths and development areas. This allows them to focus on their strengths and weaknesses, and to work on improving their skills in the areas that need improvement.

• Understanding Impact on Others

In addition, 360 degree feedback enables leaders to perceive how they affect others. Leaders can be reminded of how their attitudes and activities affect the people around them by listening to diverse sources of feedback. This feedback shows how their leadership style and behaviour impact the team's motivation, performance, and overall job satisfaction. This discovery will establish the foundation for leaders to modify their leadership method which will prove to be beneficial for their team and the overall performance of the organization.

• Building a Culture of Transparency and Open Communication

Another factor that makes the 360 degree feedback system the driver of leadership development is the establishment of a culture of teamwork and open communication. By collecting comments from within the organization at various levels, the company shows its ambition and desire to shape leaders and improve its performance. This open feedback culture embodies the idea of leadership where leaders are seen as more accessible and collaborative people with their team members. Moreover, it ensures the whole team members are giving feedback to each other, therefore, everyone feels included and this makes the organization effective.

• Encouraging Self-Awareness

The multisource feedback process promotes leaders to be more self-aware, which paves the way for self-improvement. Through an atmosphere of feedback culture, an organization shapes managers to better self-reflect and learn from their mistakes. 

Self-awareness gives leaders the advantage of knowing their powerful specific qualities, and being able to better control their emotions, and as a result, they make better decisions, which is specifically important if you’re looking for a human resource management career.

Traditional Feedback vs 360 degree Feedback: The Differences

While traditional feedback mechanisms usually involve a manager giving feedback to a subordinate, 360 degree feedback differs in several ways:

• Multi-sourced Perspectives

 Traditional feedback is usually one-sided, and it is based on the reviews of the management alone. Unlike 360 degree feedback where managers receive feedback from multiple sources that give a more comprehensive and objective view of a leader's competencies.

• Diverse Inputs

 In the case of traditional feedback, the manager is the only person who can provide input. Meanwhile, in 360 degree feedback, supervisors get evaluated by two or more sources which include peers, subordinates, superiors, and self-assessment as well, and these offer different views and capture a wider range.

• Comprehensive Development

Traditional feedback normally collects surveys about a worker's immediate performance or specific tasks. However, 360 degree feedback is more flexible, it provides a broader, more holistic point of view on the performance of a leader which makes it a better framework for the development of leadership in general. One of the best benefits of this approach is that the reviewers are measuring their leader's talent in the long run, they're consistently providing valuable feedback that can be compiled to create a better idea.

Conclusion

Finally, the 360 degree feedback approach ranks among the most essential front-runners in leadership development tools. It gives leaders a deep knowledge of areas that need improvement, shows how they affect others, builds a culture of transparency and honest communication, and promotes leaders to be self-aware.