Multi-Rater (360-degree) Feedback Tips

Posted on July 9, 2007 by robertahill

The
purpose of any performance management system should be to guide the individual
employee and groups toward desired outcomes, provide reinforcement and supply
corrective feedback for making adjustments.

The 360-degree feedback report gives participants a fair
and well-rounded impression of how others view their work. When the person who is rated agrees to
share the results of this multi-rater assessment with management, the supervisor
gets an overall perspective about the individual’s skills/abilities in order to
facilitate process improvement, remove barriers to success and acquire needed
resources. Feedback
is provided from multiple sources (raters) including self, boss, peers, direct
reports, and, in some cases, customers and suppliers.

Why
use Multi-Rater assessments in the Executive
Coaching?

Allows
the person being
coached to
gain perspectives from others in an objective, non-threatening, confidential manner.
Provides the individual with data for self-reflection and
self-awareness.
Assists in identifying individual development needs and action items.
Helps
surface patterns of behavior, especially when used in conjunction with other assessment tools during the coaching process.
Provides
a platform for dialogue between the outside coach and the executive.

Tips
When Selecting a Multi-Rater
Instrument

Research
validity, design and intended use/audience of assessment.
Determine
additional development tools and complimentary assessments available through
assessment tool vendors. Note: It is not recommended to start out with a
360-degree assessment in the self-awareness process. Before taking the 360-degree feedback
assessment, allow the person being rated to get a feel for their strengths and
behavioral tendencies using one or more other self-assessment
tools.
Understand
the cost of the instrument (often there is a processing charge per report
and/or number of raters).
Review
layout and ease of understanding 360-degree feedback report.
Check
to see if a certification process is required to interpret report to the
person being rated.

Tips
for Ensuring Success When Utilizing a Multi-Rater Process

Fully
understand the dimensions the 360-degree feedback is measuring and how to
interpret the meaning of the results to the person being rated.
Allow
the person being rated to select the ‘raters’ with guidance from the coach or
the corporate HR representative. Selected
raters should be individuals who:
Have
observed the performance of the person being rated on a regular
basis.
Have
first-hand knowledge of the person being rated’s work behaviors.
Have
worked/interacted with the person being rated for a minimum of
6-months.
Are
open to providing honest and accurate feedback – both positive and
developmental.
In
order to protect the anonymity of individuals and maintain the credibility of
the instrument, a minimum of three raters should be used for each category
except boss.
Make
sure a process has been established to protect the confidentiality of the
process.
Incorporate
results of the 360-feedback with other assessments used as part of a
development/action plan.

Proper
Implementation of Multi-Rater Assessments is Critical to
Success

When
the person being reviewed knows that the 360-degree feedback results are meant
solely for his or her personal development (and will not be shared with others
within the company without his or her permission), he or she will carefully
compare their self-ratings with all the other respondent ratings. When there is a significant gap
between the self and respondent ratings, the rated employee will usually swallow
that bitter pill and almost immediately develop a personal strategy to get back
on track.

However,
if the person being rated is not ready to accept this powerful 360-degree
feedback and/or learns that his or her results have been shared with others
without permission, trust in management will be lost and negative performance or
even employee-driven legal action can result.

With
proper implementation policies and procedures, the 360-degree feedback from
multiple work associates can be highly motivating. Used as a springboard for professional
growth, the multi-rater assessments can make a powerful impact on an
individual’s career by focusing work effort on company goals. Applying this valuable 360-degree
feedback information, participants can continuously improve their
leadership and
management
effectiveness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John
G. Agno, certified executive & business coach
Signature, Inc., PO Box
2086, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
Telephone: 734.426.2000 (US Eastern Time
Zone)
mailto:JohnAgno@SignatureSeries.com

Truth flows from universal law, not from personal
views.
www.MENTORINGandCOACHING.com

Subscribe to Coaching Tip, The Leadership
Blog:
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Question from a Reader: Price markup

Posted on February 26, 2007 by robertahill

You suggested a mark-up of about 100 – 150% on assessments. Is this still true when pricing 360-degree feedback?

I have to say that this simple little question ended up taking me on a whole different track. Why? To begin with, the 360 degree feedback assessment processes is far more involved – in preparation, administration, debriefing and overall skill required.

A simple answer to this question is "YES". Take the actual wholesale cost to you of the instrument (include all costs) and mark it up 100-150%. Simple Right? Wrong. The trick is to price your service or package including the assessment. As coaches, we generally don’t offer an assessment to a client by itself. We want to be able to help our clients understand the information and use it as a leverage to get the results they want.

Pricing your retail cost is not too difficult – pricing the service is. You need to build in how much of your time and value added there will be in the process. The final price should include: the retail cost as you have determined, the cost of your time for whatever debriefing process you feel is necessary and the cost of action planning sessions – if that is what you want to offer.

What makes 360-degree assessments entirely another species? Although all of the issues remain similar, the complexity is exponential. Bottom line – you REALLY need to know what you are doing. The odds of doing damage to the client are far greater than with a simple behavioral type of instrument. Having a basic of the following is, in my view, mandatory:

~ understanding of competencies and performance management
~ statistics for dummies (basic principles and analysis)
~ ability to conduct structured interviewing
~ practice in questioning techniques
~ if customizing, experience in survey design
~ sound project management skills

If you are fully competent and experienced in delivering 360 degree feedback to your clients, this is a truly value added piece and you may want to consider how you have valued your time and costing structure in the first place. Don’t get caught up in mark-up issues. Figure out the real time and effort and value that you provide and price the whole process accordingly. In my experience, any full 360 degree assessment (even the less expensive ones) can not be done properly (including a debriefing session(s) but not action planning) for much under $1,500.

Don’t let that put you off entirely. Start with a simple assessment that might have some multi-rater capability to get your feet wet. We think our flagship product, The Platinum Rule, is
perfect for this. At Assessments Now, we have partnered with a couple of others who know this area well and can help you get started if you are convinced that this is the way for you.

Just like everyone else: Doctors Often Overestimate Their Expertise

Posted on September 21, 2006 by robertahill

Studies suggest more outside evaluation is needed as reported in HealthDay.

By E.J. Mundell

TUESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) — Doctors often have a falsely
exaggerated view of their own capabilities, a new study suggests.

In fact, physicians who were judged by outsiders to be the worst
performers in a given area often gave themselves especially high marks,
researchers report.

"There is a subset of clinicians who appear, either by training or
personality, unable to judge themselves," said study lead researcher
Dr. David Davis, a professor of health policy management and evaluation
at the University of Toronto, in Canada.

"In two-thirds of those studies, it appears as though physicians,
without any outside means of observing their behavior, misjudged their
competence," Davis said. . . .

Davis said the findings shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone familiar with human nature.

"This isn’t peculiar to physicians," he said. "It’s peculiar to us
all as human beings. It’s just part of the human condition that we
don’t have full, objective opinions of ourselves." In fact, he added,
studies have found similar trends among lawyers, engineers and other
professionals.

Article: 360 Evaluations: What’s the Verdict?

Posted on September 12, 2006 by robertahill

Here is an interesting article from the latest newsletter of the Sasha Corporation

As early as 2000, in the
‘boom’ days of the high tech bubble, the authors of "The Human Capital Edge"
reported: "too many companies are investing in human capital practices that make
little financial sense. Certain practices applauded by conventional wisdom -
360-degree review and human resource technologies – do not always add economic
value. In fact, they often are associated with a decrease in market value.
"

According to Workforce Magazine, in 2006, "Some
popular HR practices are associated with higher value. Here’s one that is a
reverse barometer. Firms in which employees evaluate their supervisors do not
enjoy better shareholder value. In fact, they do worse than companies who do not
employ the 360-degree review."

The 2005 Human Capital Report analyzed the
financial performance of companies who use 360 evaluations against those who do
not. Companies who never use 360 evaluations showed a 47 percent total return in
shareholder value over three years, while companies in which 30% of employees
evaluated their immediate supervisor showed only a 31% gain in total shareholder
value. Workforce Magazine, June 26, 2006.

Our comment: Be careful about reaching a
cause and effect conclusion from this data. Perhaps companies who are already
doing well don’t need 360′s, and companies who are doing poorly are trying to
find out why.

QUESTION: Leadership Feedback – What to do About the Squeaky Wheel?

Posted on August 30, 2006 by robertahill

The following is from HR.com‘s Ask the Coach with Merry Marcus. Merry Marcus is
HR.Com‘s new guest analyst and Community Leader for Executive Coaching.
Join Merry twice a month as she answers your toughest career and
leadership questions…submit your question to Merry’s ongoing HR.Com
Q&A column – Ask The Coach. (Registering for a free membership is required to access this great resource.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Merry,

I am a director of Human Resources. I just received my leadership
feedback and across 23 respondents my feedback was excellent with the
exception of one participant who is clearly not happy with my
approach. What do you suggest I do?

RESPONSE: Stay Focused on the Bigger Picture

Dear Executive,

When we receive leadership feedback it is always emotionally charged
and as a result it is often difficult to know where to focus our energy
and how to put it into perspective.

Often when assessment results are tallied the highest and lowest
scores are disregarded. This helps to focus our attention on the core
message of the feedback, rather than dwelling on the extremes – which
could cause us to miss the essence of the feedback.

Keep in mind that people who have a lot of responsibility very often
have to make though decisions, so feedback would likely not be honest
unless it was somewhat mixed. I sense that you are missing the bigger
message, because you are focusing on the one negative voice.

Certainly you can take into consideration what this person is trying to communicate, but don’t let it cloud the overall excellent results!

Can you learn something from their feedback?
What might you want to add or subtract from your behaviors as a result?
And remember to stay focused on the bigger picture.

In evaluating and leveraging your feedback overall:

Look for predominate themes.
Where are your strengths?
Where are your gaps?
Then in daily activities when a tough situation arises, go back to
your strengths and see how you can apply them to solve the challenges
of the day.
What 3 things are you passionate about and committed to taking action on as a result of this feedback?
What could the impact be for the business if you take action? If you do not?

Now that you have this valuable feedback and are able to assess your
strengths and gaps, you have an incredible opportunity for growth and
professional advancement. By committing to take action, you will
demonstrate to your constituents that your heard what they said and
that you are able to leverage this feedback to produce bottom-line
business results.

Congratulations on your excellent scores!

Dare to Deliver!

Merry

What Is a 360-Degree Feedback Assessment?

Posted on August 21, 2006 by robertahill

By Roberta Hill

The concept of 360 degrees makes me crazy. Let me get this off my chest … there is no such thing as"720 degrees." A circle has 360 degrees. That’s it. That’s all.

"A degree (in full, a degree of arc, arc degree, or arcdegree), usually symbolized ° is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1/360 of a full rotation. When that angle is with respect to a reference meridian, it indicates a location along a great circle of a sphere (such as Earth, Mars, or the celestial sphere). The number 360 was probably adopted because of the number of days in a year." (Wikipedia)

Now that that issue is settled, let me take you through some of the basics of what a multi-rater means.

1. What is 360-degree feedback?

The term has become synonymous with feedback from multiple
sources. Other names are multi-rater, multi-source, full-circle, group
performance review, 180 degrees and, finally, the infamous 720 degrees.
Someone coined the term "360 degrees" to represent a full circle of
feedback from all angles, and we have been stuck with the misnomer ever
since. Over the years, many consultants and organizations have tinkered
with the 360 approach, creating 180-degree versions that collect
feedback from limited levels, or a 720-degree approach which provides
for two rounds of feedback (a pre- and post-test).

"The (360-degree) feedback process … involves
collecting perceptions about a person’s behavior and the impact of that
behavior from the person’s boss or bosses, direct reports, colleagues,
fellow members of project teams, internal and external customers, and
suppliers." (Lepsinger 1997.)

2. Where do 360′s come from?

The Booth Company suggests that in 1973, Clark Wilson, PhD developed
the first 360 feedback survey instruments for management development.
The first instrument was the "Survey of Management Practices^TM,"
and it has been used and studied since 1973. The origins of
multi-rating can be traced back to the employee attitude surveys of the
1950s and 1960s.

3. Why use 360′s?

The 360 combines input from supervisors, peers, and direct reports
to provide a broad perspective on an employee’s strengths and
developmental needs. It has also been used extensively as part of an
organization’s performance appraisal system.

In addition, the aggregate data (cumulative results for a group)
provide an organization with crucial information for effective
strategic planning, overall training needs, improved team building and
effective customer service.

4. Who uses 360′s?

These days, the question should be, "Who isn’t using 360′s?" Not
that they are being used necessarily well, but that is a separate
issue. Most Fortune 500 companies have been using some form of
multi-rater system for over 15 years. It is found less commonly in
smaller organizations, and it is just beginning to migrate beyond North
America.

5. When are 360′s used?

On an individual basis, a multi-rater process—either from an online
assessment or through the more involved structured interview
process—can be invaluable for someone embarking on a coaching program.
It is useful to conduct a second round (that "720 degrees") nine to
twelve months later.

A number of factors need to be considered before pursuing any
organizational 360-degree feedback program. The data collected MUST be
based in clear and concise behaviors, criteria and competencies. The
design elements and communications are as important as the
implementation. Some other questions to be answered are:

Is the organization ready?
Is there trust?
Is the purpose clear?
How will the data be used?

6. How can a multi-rater assessment leverage the coaching experience for your clients?

It allows your client to gain perspectives from others in an objective, non-threatening, confidential manner.
It provides the individual with qualitative and quantitative data for self-reflection and enhanced awareness.
It assists in identifying the individual development needs and action items the organization deems important.
It can help to expose patterns of behavior, both positive and
negative, especially when used in conjunction with other assessment
tools.
It creates a platform and "language" for dialogue between coach and client.
It ensures that the coach has separate objective data, thus
avoiding acceptance of the client’s interpretations at "face value."
When initiated and implemented properly, it engages the support of others in the process.

If you are interested in pursuing this subject in greater detail, I strongly recommend David Lassiter’s A User’s Guide to 360° Feedback. Some additional information sources are:

The Thin Book of 360 Feedback: A Manager’s Guide by Michelle Leduff Collins
Getting 360-Degree Feedback Right by Maury A. Peiperl
Maximizing the Value of 360-Degree Feedback: A Process for
Successful Individual and Organizational Development (Center for
Creative Leadership) by Walter W. Tornow and Manuel London
Power of 360 Degrees Feedback: How to Leverage Performance Evaluations for Top Productivity (Improving Human Performance) by David A. Waldman, PhD and Leanne E. Atwater, PhD
13 Common Mistakes Using 360-Degree Feedback by Scott Wimer and Kenneth M. Nowack

Sources:

"Degree." Wikipedia. Available at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree_%28angle%29.

Goldsmith, Marshall and Howard Morgan, 2004. Leadership Is a Contact Sport: The "Follow-up Factor" in Management Development. strategy+business 36:79.

Lassiter, David. A User’s Guide to 360° Feedback. Available at www.leadershipadvantage.com/usersguideto360.html

Lepsinger, Richard and Anntoinette D. Lucia, 1997. The Art and Science of 360 Degree Feedback. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Available at www.leadershipadvantage.com/usersguideto360.html

The DNA of Leadership: Alter your Company’s DNA and Accelerate its Profits

Posted on March 17, 2006 by robertahill

New book that is bound to be a must read for coaches.

More than concepts, The DNA of Leadership by Judith E. Glaser offers you a step-by-step guide to evolve your company’s DNA – towards a more profitable, sustainable and successful culture. I haven’t read the book – it just came out. But I did listen to a interview of her by my good colleague, Mike Jay, and was terribly impressed.

The DNA of Leadership looks like it will become a key book on Leadership for coaches and is full of Checklist Assessments. Glaser and her associates have developed their own 360 degree assessment based on this material that sounds great. More than concepts, The DNA of Leadership offers you a step-by-step guide to evolve your company’s DNA – towards a more profitable, sustainable and successful culture. I encourage you to go to her new blog of the same name and download two very generous practical well written gifts with great checklists:

Working in Concert
Leadership and Coaching

Judith E. Glaser has been an executive and organizational coach and consultant for over two decades, working with CEOs, senior executives and their teams to help them develop leadership awareness and capability for handling new challenges in a world of moving targets. Judith is a master facilitator, and an executive and organizational coach. During her career she has designed, developed and facilitated hundreds of dynamic and interactive workshops. These are based on her innovative transformational leadership technologies, designed for organizations to achieve outstanding business results. Judith is one of the most innovative and pioneering change agents and executive coaches. A 21st century Organizational Anthropologist and author, Glaser, together with her team at Benchmark Communications Inc., act as advisors, coaches and executive consultants to CEOs and their teams helping them focus on competitive challenges in a world of moving targets.

Her book Creating WE: Change I-Thinking to We-Thinking & Build a Healthy Thriving Organization (Platinum Press, an imprint of Adams Media; April, 2005) made Amazon Business Book Best Seller List, and was selected by Forbes, Chicago Tribune, and Business Book Review as one of the top business books of 2005. It’s been translated into Japanese, Spanish and Russian. Her new book, The DNA of Leadership came out in March, 2006.

Platinum Rule Refer a Client Program

Posted on January 23, 2006 by robertahill

Up until now, you had to open an Associate Account with a minimum of 5 assessments. Now you can have almost all the same features without holding any inventory or investing any money up front. Your clients pay directly.

Coaches and trainers can open up a referral account; whereby they refer their clients directly to the Assessments Now web site. Clients will pay directly BUT by using a special link and personal user code they will only be charged $35 instead of the retail price of $49.95 (a savings of 30%). AND when they take an assessment, the coach is notified and can sign on to his or her account to see the results.

Advantage of the Refer A Client Account

It looks like the Associate account but no invitation letter is provided AND no credits can be purchased - clients pay directly.

no start-up or licensing costs
client pays directly – no invoicing or other arrangements on your end
the client still pays significantly less than retail
you have immediate access to results
your contact information goes on the pdf report
you can create team charts with this account
you can not purchase assessments to give out to your clients directly

How is this different from Associate Accounts?

Associate Accounts have a sign up fee of $549 which provides them with:

10 assessments ($500 retail, $300 wholesale value)
reduced prices on future purchases based on volume
access to 15 hours live teleclass training or recording that qualifies you to use this product. (Training has been endorsed by the vcreator Tony Alessandra.)
successful completion of training gets associates listed on the site
customization of invitation letters to clients
ability to create sub accounts for corporate clients
build assessments into your coaching or training services directly and distribute or charge what you want
one hour direct coaching with Roberta and ongoing support
bi-monthly teleclass to support the building of your business using The Platinum Rule
Special offers, teleclasses, products are provided to Associates

How to open an account

If the Refer a Client Account interests you, you can sign up directly by using this link – Open Referral Account.

You will be given instructions on how to create your own special link to send your clients. You must then please contact me directly, so that I can send you your special user code that you must provide along with your personal link to your clients for them to get the discount.

Added bonus if you use your new Referral Account before March 1st 2006

Any of your clients that use your special link and user code will be given an additional discount. They will only pay $30 a 40% discount – almost half price. This offer will ONLY be valid until the end of February when the discounted price will go back to $35. Your user code will not change.

If you haven’t tried the Platinum Rule and you are a coach or trainer, you should qualify for a complimentary assessment. Contact me to try one yourself. If you are interested in becoming an Associate – also send me an email.

Disc Training a Big Success

Posted on November 21, 2005 by robertahill

The two hour telelcass on an introduction to Disc Assessments was fully subscribed with 20 resgistrations – actually we went one over. I recorded the program and developed notes which are now posted on my web site.

The DISC training was such a success, that I am offering another version in late January – one class of 90 minutes plus access to the previous taped classes. Look for the amazing extra bonus if you register before January 5th, 2005.

Here are some testimonials from the first program:

“Roberta Hill’s DISC training was outstanding. Roberta packs so much into the teleclasses. The included material was worth the price of admission alone. I loved the clear and concise explanation of the different DISC styles. The background history of the origin of DISC and how it compares to the history of MBTI was very valuable. There was great information on the various DISC vendors. The class interaction was very helpful too.”

Warwick Fairfax, Coach

"Roberta’s presentation style was insightful, interactive and very informative. This teleclass will help anyone interested in their daily interactions with other people by allowing a clear understanding of what style will work with each individual. Her willingness to share her expertise was greatly appreciated. Support material and experiencing the assessment first hand was invaluable." - Anthony C., Verona Beach, USA.

“Just want to say thank you for this class. I always learn so much from you, and you make it a fun and enjoyable learning experience!” Cherie Sprague, Coach

“I found the training to be very targeted and easy to understand. I also enjoyed having you as the trainer. You came across as very genuine and extremely knowledgeable in your subject matter, which I appreciated.” Linda Cohan MSW,CSC Business/Personal Coach

COST: $74.50 USD

Date and Time: January 24^th, 4 pm EASTERN time zone (1 pm Pacific and 9 pm GMT). This program has been taped for those registered to listen to for 30 days.

What we will cover in the two sessions:

Overview of the DISC model and theory
When and how to administer a DISC assessment
Answering the tough questions from your clients
Review of at least six different on-line vendors including costs, pros and cons
A full DISC Profile for you to try yourself and discuss overviews in class

BONUS: Receive your own Personal multi-rater DISC Profile retailing at $59.95 AND a 12 page Coaching Effectiveness Skills PDF with Template from HRD Press. (This can be used in paper version one on one with your clients but we trust you will not redistribute it.) Total package value $145.50.

If you order before January 5^th: Receive an additional Personal multi-rater DISC Profile retailing at $59.95 for you to send to a client or friend. (You provide the person’s name and email to me before January 31^st and the assessment must be completed within 30 days.)

Register NOW to receive your bonus of a DISC Profile and eBook:

If this link does not work, cut and past the following URL into your browser:

www.cartville.com/app/javanof.asp?MerchantID=29035&ProductID=2488361

(All the material and the assessment will be sent to you with the bridge line 10 days prior to the start of the teleclass.)

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Category Archives: 360 Degree / Multi Rater