360-Degree Feedback Also known as "multi-rater feedback," 360-degree assessment is feedback that comes from all around an employee - 360 refers to the 360 degrees in a circle, with an individual figuratively in the center of the circle.

In a 360-degree assessment, subordinates, peers, and supervisors provide feedback. It also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders. It often is contrasted with "upward feedback," where managers are given feedback by their direct reports, or a "traditional performance appraisal," where their managers most often review the employees. We mainly use 360-degree feedback for training and development but sometimes also use it to help organizations make promotion or compensation decisions.

Example. The CEO of a Media company engaged us to design and administer a developmental 360-degree assessment for the 12 members of her Management Team. We designed a 45-item assessment survey with quantitative and qualitative items and conducted interviews with each team member and the CEO to gather more descriptive descriptions of the team members’ strengths and areas for development. We met individually with each team member to give them feedback and also created a team-level aggregate report.

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