Click on the picture to enlarge it...what do you see ?
If I tell you it’s a drawing of a woman walking past a tree over a cobbled square on a winter day, that’s quite possibly what you’ll see. If however, I point out that this is an image of a face, the bridge is the right eye and the shape of the woman is the nose. Look carefully, what you thought was the hem of her skirt is the mouth and the left hand side of the tree is actually the face profile.

Remember Magic Eye pictures? Hidden scenes tucked in random dot 3D pictures. I could never quite see the intended image without going cross eyed and feeling dizzy. Magic Eye aside, I love optical illusions and all the visual deception they entail. The misleading effects seen are dependent on the arrangement of images, effect of colors, and impact of light source around you.

We can be as misguided by our own view of ourselves as we can be mistaken on what we might initially see in an optical illusion like this. Not everyone can see the effects of this type of image, in the same way not all of us have the ability to see our faults and shortcomings in the real world.

This can cause a problem in a business environment. A lack of insight into the way in which we behave, and the impact it has on others can be detrimental to the extreme and can lead to silent dissent amongst the workforce. Today, there are a number of tools available to companies to help both the employer and employee gain a better knowledge and understanding of their strengths, weaknesses and behavioral traits. 360 degree feedback is one such effective performance related tool.
In the past, I’ve worked in environments where the communication skills of the management team have been nothing short of non existent. Where my views as an employee were never taken into account and there was absolutely no forum for me to give constructive criticism over the way I felt my manager led the team, how the department was run or how I felt this affected me. For a period of time, I was definitely one unhappy bunny in what was an over flowing rabbit warren of dissent. 

I hadn’t even heard of 360 degree feedback at that time, although now working in the industry, I know that the concept of gathering information about employees stems from the 1950’s at Esso Research and Engineering Company based in New Jersey. From that point on, the practice of 360 degree feedback gained momentum and by 1990, the benefits of this type of feedback were widely recognised by HR departments globally.
In the past few years, as many as 90% of Fortune 500 companies have recognised and used 360 degree feedback as a highly effective performance evaluation tool in their businesses. The insights gained into the way employees see themselves and those around them can lead to positive change in attitude and behaviour within the workforce. 

If as a business you don’t already use this type of performance appraisal, cast a wary eye to your left and right. Look around you for the possible tell tale sign of Bunny Dissent syndrome. Twitch twitch…..