360 Assessments: 
7 Simple Rules For Better Results 
by Vicky Pope

A 360 Assessment is a useful tool for delivering powerful insights to guide management decision and action. 360 surveys can be used in almost any circumstance to gather just about any information from almost anybody. They range from the simple 360 survey to the complex organization-wide assessments that gather information relating to performance, employee competencies, customer relations, market reactions to new product launch, leadership impact, and more.

When done right, 360 Assessments have been shown to build a collaborative environment, improve customer satisfaction, improve the bottom-line, pinpoint opportunities for reducing cost, you name it. Done incorrectly, a 360 Assessment can result in mistrust of leadership, incomplete and inaccurate data, bad decision, poor implementation, waste of company resources, employee confusion, injection of fear into the culture, aggravation of conflict, lowering of employee morale, etc.

When a 360 Assessment fails to fulfill the purpose for which it was intended, any number of things could be responsible. Below are seven common reasons why 360 assessments fail and what to do about them. Addressing these items before or as you launch your next 360 Assessment, can improve your chances of generating accurate data, achieving your intended outcome, and minimizing exposure to the damage that can be done by improper or ineffective use of 360º Assessments.

1. The need that the 360 Assessment will fulfill is not clear. In other words, why are you doing this? Why is it important to the organization and/or the unit (the strategic direction, performance, etc.), at this time? If you cannot articulate the purpose of the assessment in three sentences or less, you need to go back to the drawing board on why you need it. In articulating the purpose of the 360 assessment, think about the specific information the assessment can generate that will make meaningful contribution to the organization (or unit (strategic direction, build the capacity of the organization, address a specific performance issue), and how it will result in a change in behavior, focus, attitude, performance, etc.

2. It is a waste of time and company resources to do a 360 Assessment when there is no commitment or less than full commitment of the people who will make the needed resources available (usually management or the highest level of influence), and those who will make decisions and take action based on the data that will be generated. If management is not committed to taking real action and widely communicate that commitment, it won't be taken seriously by anyone else, it won't mean anything to anyone else, and people might be less forthcoming with real answers. And no real impact will be achieved with the initiative.

3. The 360 assessment items (i.e. questions in the instrument) are too general, not clear, or lead to answers that point to a pre-designed outcome. You know that saying: garbage in, garbage out. You want to make your items in the assessment clear and easily understandable. If your respondents feel a need to get clarification as to the meaning of the question in order to be able to answer, you failed. In addition, avoid asking subjective questions. For example, on the 360 survey do not ask if a person is a good communicator or a good listener. Instead use words such as impact, effective, efficient, results, competent.

4. If your style is "Any road will get you there", you are asking for trouble if you approach your 360 Assessment initiative with this mindset. Ensure that you have a plan and that all your logistics are covered before you launch. Then follow up to ensure that they work. Decide on the best means to use and use only one. If it will be done online, ensure that all respondents know how and have help available for those that may need it. If by paper, ensure that the paperwork is distributed to everyone at the same time and that people are clear about where to return completed assessments. Have a plan as to how you will ensure that assessments are completed within a pre-determined deadline.

5. Here's an obvious one, results are not communicated when they are in. Whoever is assessed (individual, unit or the whole organization) should get the results and then be given an opportunity to air their reactions.

6. No follow-up action. Do not go through the process just to do a 360 survey.. Sometimes management does this just to appear to be doing something about an issue. Then when they receive the report, it gets filed away. It is preferable not to do a 360 Assessment at all than to do it and do nothing with the data you collected. Once you do an assessment, the expectation is that something will be done or change will happen once the report is in. Have a plan on what to do with the data once the assessment results are in, do it, and communicate the outcome. If you are unable to do something about it immediately, communicate your reasons and intentions as soon as you can.

7. Lack of accountability and follow-through often means that the rich data generated by most 360 Assessment are not fully taken advantage of. The only way to ensure that the assessment achieves the intended purpose is to decide who will be responsible for making decisions and taking actions with the data that is generated. And hold that person or group accountable for implementation and results.

About the Author:  Vicky is the President and CEO of VIPCG, Inc.  http://www.thevipcg.com.  She specializes in leadership development, executive coaching, and using innovative technologies to transform entire systems in organizations. Vicky also specializes in emotional competence, and developing collaborative work cultures and is an expert in cross-cultural development.