Get advice on creating and running global 360 degree feedback programmes. We offer design tips on what to do and what to avoid

1. What’s the problem?
Running a 360 degree feedback programme in a global
company has many challenges. Common problems include
poorly-worded questions, bad translations and participants
not understanding their results.
We offer advice on tackling these issues and designing a
360 programme that fits your business and works across
different regions.
How do you solve it?
Get the design right
Invest the time to design the right 360 programme. It’ll then
be more meaningful and relevant for participants. Your
business can also expect better, more reliable results. Here
are some tips:
Have a competency framework in place. This ensures
participants are rated and compared on a consistent scale
(and that behaviours are relevant to business goals)
Language. Create 360 questionnaires (and reports) in
peoples’ first language as this ensures clarity for those giving
and receiving feedback
Choose your words carefully. Keep questions short and
use simple words as they’ll be easier to translate, avoiding
possible misunderstandings
Use a rating scale that’s easily-observable. We suggest a
‘frequency’ scale where you ask respondents how frequently
someone displays a particular behaviour.
Don't get lost in translation
Here’s an example of a 360 statement that’s both
difficult to understand and to translate:
"Sets objectives/goals for others which set high
expectations which are aligned across multiple levels,
aiming to “raise the bar.”
What’s wrong with it? It covers multiple themes and
the focus of the statement – about stretching goals – is
missed. It’s also too long and the colloquialism “raise the
bar” won’t translate well.
Here’s an alternative, more simply-worded statement on the
same theme. This is easier to understand and translate:
“Sets stretching and timely goals.”
inspire brilliance
How to: Design a global 360 feedback programme Call us on: +44 (0)1932 222700 or visit: etsplc.com
H
ow
to
guide
How to:
Design a global
360 feedback
programme
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2. inspire brilliance
Make understanding results easy
With a large global 360 programme, it’s hard to offer coaching
or one-to-one support to every participant. You must use an
intuitive reporting process and support your participants in
other ways to act on feedback.
Simple reporting. A user-friendly report makes it easy for
participants to access and understand their feedback. Steer
clear of lots of pages of data as this can be overwhelming. A
more visual report style may be easier to interpret
Use percentile reporting. This gives context to data in
global programmes. The 360 scores are compared with
other groups (regions or business areas) removing the risk
of misinterpreting results or taking them out of context
Share action tips. Use reports to guide participants,
highlighting key themes, practical tips and action areas.
You could also link to relevant online training or an L&D
resources portal
How to give feedback. Establish what’s appropriate for
different regions taking part. For example, in some regions,
reports are typically first sent to line managers before the
participant.
This is an example of a highly visual 360 feedback report,
which gives a clear overview of an individual’s strengths and
areas to focus on for development.
Call us on: +44 (0)1932 222700 or visit: etsplc.com
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What next?
To find out more, click on the links below:
► Case studies
► Webinars
► About us
Would you like more help with this?
Would you like more help with this? If you want to talk – either
about a global 360 degree feedback programme or a broader
development or appraisal challenge – please contact us.
Call us on +44 (0)1932 222700
Or e-mail us at info@etsplc.com
www.etsplc.com
How to: Design a global 360 feedback programme
Helps
develop
others
Influences
others
Embraces
change
Lead
positive
change
BLIND
SPOT
HIDDEN
STRENGTH
Overall
score
Perception gap
Indicates the two key competencies for performing your role, as
identified by your line manager.
Customer
focus
Strategic
thinker
Encourages
collaborative
working
Case study
The 360 system Tesco uses enables quick completion
with users guided through every step. Reports
too are designed to be user-friendly. Jon Sale, Head of
Talent at Tesco, explains:
“A summary report gives our 360 participants a really
quick and accessible overview of their results. They’ve found
it particularly insightful to see their strengths, development
areas and perception gaps in one place.”