I am working with an organisation to implement an upward feedback process and would be grateful for any contributions describing experiences of upward feedback, results achieved, pitfalls and any case studies that are known about?
Paul Gausden
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5 Responses
Trust building
Hi Paul,
You did not say if this is part of a 360 degree feedback system. I have worked on some of these and found key issues centred around the response the giver receives from the receiver(is it confidential?)and the need to clearly define the questions asked. It depends how sophisticated you want to go on the questioning front. A small “trial run” can help highlight potential ambiguities. Please contact me if you want to talk it through. 0790 387 1199
Good luck
Pete
Upward Coaching & Feedback
Hi Paul,
I would be more than happy to talk through my experiences of implementing Upward Coaching & Feedback, results, pitfalls etc…
Please call me on 07740 772303 to discuss further,
kindest regards
Buffy
http://www.rippleeffect.eu
one anecdotal outcome
Paul
I was peripherally involved in a 360 feedback programme some years ago and it brought earth-shattering results for one particular manager.
The chap had always seen himself as the “salt of the earth” as he was an ex-shop steward.
He was devastated to discover what his staff thought of him in a 360.
He hid the results, the only person of 20 delegates to avoid sharing.
I spoke to him off-line and he was stunned, but chastened rather than angry.
Later he told me he was considering his future seriously.
Later still I HEARD he had left the organisation and gone to work for a charity, where it was REPORTED he was both happier and more appreciated due to a change in his behaviours.
I take this to be a successful outcome but if he had been hurt and angry?…who knows!
Beware opening the Johari window, you may get a smell you weren’t anticipating!
I hope this helps
Rus
I do!
My organisation is thinking about implementing some form of 360 degree feedback in the next few months.
However all my direct reports are encouraged to give me written feedback monthly and to share it with my manager – it took a couple of tries to get them to be critical but it’s working well now.
I find their feedback massively valuable to becoming a better manager, you’ve just got to learn to take it in the manner it’s intended.
My staff aren’t out to hurt my feelings, they are part of a developing workplace and culture (we’re running a brand new operation in the Gulf – for a medium sized global player) and it’s vital they feel able to tell me what they feel about me. Particularly because this region has traditionally been a very “top-down” culture.
The most important thing in any feedback process is the buy-in of the recepient to feedback, after that it’s all a matter of negotiation as to where you go from there.
Positioning is the main thing
360 may well be a useful tool, but whatever the approach it is most important to ensure the project is well positioned and understood, and ideally managers should be “asking” for the feedback. With 360, it can be helpful to include an element of choice, whereby managers identify some behaviours they would like feedback on for themselves. One way to achieve this would be to do some work in peer groups where managers develop some self awareness and personal goals within a framework. They will then be able to focus the feedback on issues they already recognise and want to develop further.
http://www.interaction-ld.com