You have been invited to participate in a 360° Analysis project in which organisation members will provide you with useful information for your personal and professional development

360° Analysis is a powerful aid to development which explores and compares our self-perceptions, regarding our skills and abilities, with work colleagues' views on our performance. However self-aware we may be, we can always learn by taking into account the views of those who work with us. For most of us there will be areas where we rate ourselves more harshly than others do, and fail to recognise our own level of ability (our hidden strengths), and areas where our performance may not be as effective as we believe (blind spots). 360° Analysis can be regarded as a 'reality check' - an objective way of establishing our areas of strength and areas where we need to invest energy in self development.

Receiving feedback on performance can be challenging, especially where blind spots are revealed, and it is important to focus on the benefits which this information provides you – and to recognise that all individuals involved have invested considerable amounts of time to the benefit of our careers. It is preferable to go through your initial results with a Coach or Human Resources specialist, who can explain outcomes and put them into context, rather than reading them on your own. In any case, try not to focus just on any negative results (we all get them) but take positive responses into account also – to build a rounded picture. Remember, areas for development should be approached as opportunities, not failings. The aim of the process is personal growth, not an attempt to undermine you.

To be most objective and effective you will need to have as many assessors as possible involved in the process. However, this will be determined by who is available and how much time the organisation can commit to this process. Assessors will include yourself and a range of colleagues, including: bosses; peers; and staff who report to you. In some cases it can be helpful to include individuals from outside the organisation's management line – such as clients, suppliers, friends or family members. It is likely that each of our colleagues will hold a slightly different view of us, depending on the particular experiences they have shared with us. Some will be more favourable, others less so. The idea of the 360 is to gather as wide a range of experiences and views as possible. It is the average of all of these which is likely to provide the most realistic and objective assessment of how we are really doing and where we can most benefit from development support.

Following the Procedure

Initially you will receive a notification email inviting you to participate in a 360 Project as a 'Target' – which means that others will be invited to provide assessments for you, in addition to your own self-assessment. This may also invite you to supply suggestions for who you would prefer those assessors to be, or the Project Manager may supply these on your behalf. You may be sent a link to the 360 Project Management tool which allows you to specify your assessors directly on-line, by following the isntructiosn provided. You will need to provide their email addresses and specify the nature of the relationship with you. Ideally, suggestions will be made regarding how many people to include. You will need at least one 'Boss' (eg: the person/s you report to in the organisation, and possibly their Boss too), a small number of 'Peers' (colleagues at your own level who you have contact with) and several members of staff, who report to you ('Reports'). Bear in mind that some individuals may fail to complete the survey in time and not be included. You will need to specify enough people to ensure at least 1 Boss, 2 Peers, 3 Staff – in addition to your Self.

Please ensure that the Relationships specified between you and your Assessors are accurate, as this will determine the usefulness of the 360 Output Reports. Remember to only include individuals who do actually work with you and have an actual insight into your performance – responses need to be based on actual observation, not just surmise. Also, try to specify individuals who may have experience of your development needs – there will be no learning resulting from just nominating people who will 'make you look good'!

Once the 360 Project has been set up and activated you will receive a link to your own survey, along with personal log-in instructions. You do not have to complete it in one go and can save and return to your survey at any point, while the project is live, using the instructions provided. Try to be as objective and honest as possible in filling in your own self-assessment. It may be tempting to score yourself highly, if you are anxious about others failing to do so. But remember, 360 is not just a measure of performance, but also of self-awareness.

Above all, please recognise that a 360 Project is a considerable expense to the organisation, in terms of both set-up time and organisational down-time, on the part of Assessors. The fact that the organisation is making this investment is an indication of the value placed on the 'Targets' in the process and recognition of the benefits which their ongoing development can bring – to individual and organisation alike.