A Carol Kallendorf, Ph.D./Jack Speer Organization

Carol
Kallendorf,
Ph.D.
 

The man across the desk--good looking, articulate, intelligent--looked distraught.  "How can they NOT know how desperate I am to turn this situation around?" 

His division had been losing money and key people.  He had just learned from his 360 feedback that his peers--to a person--thought he lacked an appropriate sense of urgency, which was eroding the last shreds of their confidence in him. 

"I'm lying awake every night--but apparently I haven't communicated that I'm even aware there's a problem.  That hurts like hell.  But at least I can do something about it.  I can tell them what I'm doing to fix things."

He did.  It helped.  It got him support and bought him some valuable time.

What would it be like if, as a manager, you knew what your boss, peers, and the people who work for you thought about your management abilities? 

That's what a 360-degree assessment will tell you--and it's a very mature professional who unequivocally wants that.  As my partner Jack Speer says, "The truth will make you free, but at the first it will just make  you depressed."

The feedback can be powerful and can revolutionize careers and organizations, as managers learn they have behaviors that are disastrous--and sometimes even easy to fix.

It provides a valuable platform for development.  It also makes the team a part of the management process by giving them a say in the most important part of the organization--how they'll be managed.

Should Your Organization Use a 360-degree Assessment?

A 360-degree assessment can be a powerful tool for an organization.  It's a management tool that many top organizations use annually to measure the effectiveness of managers, executives and even individual contributors.

The 360-degree assessment uses a battery of questions that are answered by the participant, his or her bosses, peers, direct reports and other customers or stakeholders.

The 360-degree assessment captures the knowledge of the people who know the most about the participant from every point of view.  They are the people who work most closely with the participant and are in the best position to observe his or her management style.  360-degree assessments reveal important strengths the organization can build on and weaknesses that should be addressed.

The 360 assessment questions are based on the management competencies most important to your organization and, therefore, reveal how well the participant uses those behaviors. 

The table below shows sample questions from a recent 360 with scores.

Although a 360-degree assessment is a powerful tool, it must be carefully designed and administered if it is to be constructive and not damaging. 

We offer four options for 360s:

Customized generic:  Beginning with our basic 360, we customize with additional questions and competencies that are unique to your industry and organization.  the customization adds considerable impact for a modest additional cost.  It is administered online.

Custom 360:  We design a fully customized 360, built on your leadership competencies and tailored specifically to your industry and organization.  We work with you to define the most appropriate rater categories and can accommodate an unlimited number of raters.  The complete customization gives this 360 extraordinary precision and impact.  The custom 360 is administered online.

Interview-based 360-degree assessment:  In some cases, the most appropriate type of 360 is administered through interviews.  This type of 360 generates feedback that is rich in context and detail.

Generic 360:  The least expensive option and one that is appropriate for many organizations.  It is statistically strong and administered online.

Here are some of the services we provide with our 360-degree assessments:

1.  We'll help you determine which type of 360 best suits your needs.

2.  If you have a model that identifies the competencies that make a person successful in your organization, we will integrate your model into your 360-degree assessment.  If don't have a competency model, we'll work with you to identify key competencies that are critical to success in your organization. 

3.  We'll collaborate with you in developing the 360-degree questions.

4.  We'll develop internal communication pieces that introduce the 360-degree assessment to your organization and explain the process.

5.  We administer the 360-degree assessment and, for our online 360s, provide a help desk to answer questions from people in your organization.

6.  The 360-assessment provides custom reports for each participant and we will  debrief the participant in person or by phone.

7.  We will aggregate your 360 results and work with your organization on an ongoing plan for management, leadership and organizational development based on your 360 results. 

To discuss timelines and costs, contact us.
 

The Delta Associates
1704 Briar Street
Austin, Texas 78704

Voice, 512-498-9780
Email, jspeer@delta-associates.com
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