Growing and retaining high-performing employees means investing in their development. Carefully planned and orchestrated leadership development programmes improve employee retention and, in turn, produce happier and more productive employees. It’s a win-win situation.
360-degree feedback is a powerful tool within Leadership Development Programmes (LDPs). It provides a structured, scientific methodology for gathering feedback on a leader’s behaviour from several perspectives.
An important aspect of preparing leaders or potential leaders for LDPs is knowing where to focus. 360-degree assessments enable employee and leadership development by combining multi-rater feedback with self-ratings of behaviour. Knowing how an employee performs in his/her current role is the foundation for a comprehensive development plan to move forward.
The 360 tool provides competency-based multi-rater feedback alongside qualitative comments that can be used as a starting point for the employee’s personal development plan. There is no limit to the number of feedback providers nor the level of feedback providers.
Benefits of applying 360-degree assessments in LDPs include:
Insights into competency performance form the foundation of individual development journeys.
Group-level insights highlight structural skills gaps.
Findings guide the development and delivery of training material.
The report is used to facilitate self-insight and self-awareness, which can lead to immediate behaviour change.
360 results can be used year-on-year to track progress and return on investment of development initiatives.
Development forms an important part of an employee’s journey. Developing employees, for both organisations and individuals, aims to ensure optimal performance. How do we achieve this? By knowing where the biggest gaps are and focusing development efforts there first. Learning initiatives in the form of training courses, coaching, etc. can bring about the change required.
Talentindex’s online Develop report goes beyond a traditional 360-degree feedback tool. It provides a measurement of competency performance via multi-rater feedback and also integrates measurements of competency potential and Learning Agility. The report provides comprehensive feedback on all aspects of the leader’s strengths and development needs from various perspectives, including observed behaviour, natural characteristics, agility in the face of new situations, and learning styles. These insights lead to a development plan that aligns with the leader’s development needs and provides practical tips to aid development.
360-degree assessments play a massive role in informing the structure and goals of your LDP and the development plans for leaders. 360-degree feedback, as well as feedback in general, provides employees with the self-awareness and insight they require to perform at their peak and, in turn, benefit the organisation.