October 1996

Lessons Learned about 360-Degree Feedback Programs

Many agencies have been using a variety of forms of multi-rater assessment for employee appraisal and development. A few of these agencies shared lessons learned during several different sessions at the conference.

• Department of Education
• Voice of America
• Veterans Affairs
• General Accounting Office

Department of Education. The Department of Education uses an automated 360-degree appraisal program in conjunction with a two-level summary rating. Joe Colantuoni, the Director of the Department's Management Systems Improvement Group, pointed out that even though people will resist change, 360-degree feedback is a powerful tool for promoting accountability, developing a team attitude, and empowering employees. Education has learned that you can never communicate too much and that good labor management relations make a difference in the success and implementation of the program.

Voice of America. The Voice of America uses multi-rater feedback as a tool for improving employee and organizational performance, not for rating performance. James Witt of the Office of Engineering at Voice of America described a few of the lessons learned in his agency:

• Be careful when using 360-degree feedback for performance appraisals. Tying the feedback to ratings of record may undermine the purpose of the process.
• Anonymity is important to achieving a high response rate. But be sure to include Freedom of Information and Privacy Act considerations in the process design.
• The process should be as simple as possible. Don't overburden the rater.
• Get a commitment from everyone involved to use the information gathered.

Veterans Affairs. The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented an upward feedback program to improve communications between supervisors and employees. Vidal Falcon of their Office of Financial Systems described its "Supervisory Assessment Program," a pilot program used to improve communications rather than develop performance ratings.

Falcon advised that agencies planning on implementing any kind of 360-degree tool should spend time instructing employees and supervisors how to give feedback and how to use the tool, no matter how simple the feedback report and the instrument.

General Accounting Office. The General Accounting Office (GAO) also uses an upward feedback tool that does not determine performance ratings. Jerry Schmidt, a Deputy Regional Manager for GAO, explained that GAO is using an upward feedback program to support employee involvement, improved communications, and development of respect and trust. The upward appraisal process provides supervisors feedback on key elements of performance that had in the past been a cause of employee dissatisfaction.

Schmidt offered several tips for running a successful program. The lessons learned by GAO include:

• Do not administer the feedback tool at the same time as the annual performance appraisal.
• GAO's high response rate shows that upward feedback is important to its employees.
• Responses can reflect general dissatisfaction not related to the ratee.
• Written comments are important for understanding the numeric responses.
• Employees want to know promptly that managers received the results.
• Managers must look at the feedback objectively and should not over-analyze or overreact to the feedback.
• Action plans should focus only on the most important supervisory behaviors.
• Upward feedback should not be the only approach for improving communications, trust, respect, and teamwork.