In this release, we would like to share our observations and thoughts on the 360 degree feedback in VUCA. In recent months, we have had the opportunity to implement our 360 degree feedback tool in many organizations. As a result, we witnessed different approaches to the assessment process and the challenges organizations face.
A growing appetite for feedback
It is not a revelation to anyone that the pandemic caused significant turbulence in most organisations’ functioning. For example, most of us work remotely for most of the time, if not permanently. It is also very likely that this way of working will stay long after the “health” effects of the pandemic have ceased. Consequently, working in dispersed teams will be a permanent part of the new business reality.
Above all, in remote work conditions, our employees need feedback even more than before. This need is also related to the fact that remote work has limited the possibility of direct contact and ongoing feedback. As a result of ongoing feedback, we, on the one hand, confirm our own effectiveness, and we can obtain valuable information that affects the development of our competencies on the other.
As a consequence, recently, there has been an increase in demand for tools that allow the easy launch of the cycle of collecting feedback, which enables addressing the development needs of employees working remotely.
Feedback in VUCA
Inevitably, in the current situation, direct observation of individual team members’ behaviour by superiors is much more difficult. It is because there are much fewer opportunities for this. Therefore, in organizations promoting a culture of feedback, it is important to look for feedback also from others, such as colleagues, subordinates, and even suppliers or customers. Such information is an extremely valuable source of knowledge about how others perceive us in areas of competencies important to the organization.
Need for new competencies
After the current crisis outbreak, many organizations were afraid to run a 360 degree feedback cycle for fear of unreliable results due to the prevailing non-standard conditions. Meanwhile, those non-standard conditions are becoming our new business reality. The new normal requires new competencies. Therefore, the 360 degree feedback on a large group, apart from individual feedback for each employee, provides important information on strengths and areas for the development of the larger population.
On the other hand, aggregate reports shed light on the current trends and possible competency gaps. With this, you can plan, based on the data, development activities in key areas from the point of view of the new post-pandemic reality in which VUCA has become a painful fact.
