Title:
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How 360 degree feedback practices create positive or negative participant perceptions of the process
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360 degree feedback is widely used by employing organisations but peoples' views of how
successful it is vary from individual to individual and from organisation to organisation.
Successful experiences of 360 degree feedback can have a powerful effect on performance,
retention and development. When 360 degree feedback is unsuccessful within
organisations there appears to be a damaging effect on employee engagement factors like
motivation, organisational commitment and morale. It is therefore important to gain a
better understanding of what differentiates more successful experiences of360 degree
feedback from less successful ones. This thesis seeks to answer the question, what makes
the difference between 360 degree feedback experiences perceived by participants as
successful and those that are not?
The research looked at 11 case studies. Each case is a separate organisation. 84
participants were interviewed across the organisations. This provided the opportunity to
see 360 degree feedback working in different settings. Using a grounded theory approach,
interview transcripts were coded and emergent themes identified through intra-case
analysis and further refmed by inter-case comparisons. Finally, existing research into
culture and feedback were examined to explore whether they could be applied to these
fmdings.
Individual reactions to 360 degree feedback are affected by several interacting factors,
namely; Feedback Intervention Theory, Feedback Culture, Leader-Member Exchange,
Perceived Organisational Support and Organisational Justice. A 'virtuous circle' model
was developed ofthe interactions between these factors.
If all the factors of the proposed model are present and working together, the factor which
seems to have most influence on overall success is the availability and quality of dialogue
between the employee and the person facilitating the feedback.
The general consensus amongst researchers and practitioners in the 360 degree feedback
field is that 360 degree feedback works best in a 'supportive environment'. How much
support is provided varies across organisations. The model developed in this thesis casts
light on the parameters of that supportive environment and the relationships between them.
The combination of interactions between the identified factors constitutes the overall
environment of support perceived by the employee as they experience the 360 degree
feedback process.
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