How this Book is Organized
The modular format of this book provides the reader with a structured and systematic approach to the design, development, and delivery of performance-based feedback. This book includes dozens of practical ideas and techniques the reader can apply immediately. There are diagrams, tables and matrices, application exercises, competency models, and questions to get you thinking about your next feedback project.
Module One: Perspectives. This module clarifies the differences between the two basic types of feedback and when to use each one. There is a brief overview to 360-degree feedback and its ever growing use and popularity, including why people use it and why they tend to fear it.
Module Two: Designing It. This module focuses on the design elements you need to consider when creating the framework for any 360-degree assessment. This module clarifies the differences between competencies and behaviors, knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and how to identify the critical competencies and behaviors to include in your assessment that apply to all employees or to a specific target population.
Module Three: Developing It. When you develop an assessment, you make your design come alive. This module focuses on how to write the actual questions, lead-in statements, rater response scales, importance ratings, free-text and demographic questions for your assessment. This module discusses the merits of single versus dual response scales; odd versus even response scales; gap analysis and the value of directional feedback for helping participants apply their feedback to the workplace.
Module Four: Deploying It. This module should provide you with practical suggestions for deploying your Web-based survey effectively; the value of randomizing your questions; the most common types of rater bias; and how to ensure initial success for your 360-degree feedback project.
Module Five: Delivering It. This module identifies different ways to present the feedback results to participants; the five types of feedback participants can expect to receive; and samples for presenting the feedback in one page to multi-page reporting formats.
Appendix. The Appendix includes a comparison of data collection methods (electronic versus paper) and identifies different agendas you can use in structured workshop settings to guide participants through their feedback results. The Appendix also includes a discussion of basic psychometrics and their application to 360-degree assessments and the value of norms and behavior change. There are summary checklists for ensuring long-term success and personal accountability. The Appendix concludes with practical suggestions for integrating the 360-degree feedback process with other organizational training and development programs and examples that illustrate how some participants have responded to their feedback.
