Introduction

Thank you for being part of the 360-degree feedback process.  Your feedback report may include some of the following profiles:

·         Current Performance Perceptions

·         Current Performance Perspectives

·         Current Performance/Importance

·         Importance Perspectives

·         Individual/Group Comparison

·         Snapshots

·         Performance Comments

This document will guide you through the report and assist you in analysing your feedback. 

Before you start reviewing your report remember that people often feel threatened by feedback.  However, pinpointing how other people see your performance actually provides an excellent opportunity for reflection, discussion and improvement. 

Everyone performs less than perfectly in at least one area but when people receive feedback they can often feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.  They may fail to act on areas that need further development.  The Full Circle Feedback process takes the ‘guess work’ out and points you in the right direction. 

It is important to note and enjoy positive feedback. Our strengths provide us with a platform for further development. Try not to become focused on one or two low scores as you view each profile and please withhold judgement about your results until you have spent time reflecting and discussing the results with someone who may assist. 

The purpose of the report is not to initiate overnight solutions but to increase awareness and assist you in planning your ongoing personal and professional development.

Remember that there are no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ reports.  There are simply areas in which you are strong and other areas in which you are not so strong which may need some extra attention.

The report is simply a collection of perceptions, including your own, at a certain point in time in a particular workplace context. It does not represent an indisputable factual account of your performance. However good leaders do understand how they impact on others and are continually seeking ways to improve. In summary you should find the profiles very interesting and certainly useful.

Current Performance Perceptions 

Overview

Current Performance Perceptions shows how you rated your current performance compared with the average response from your feedback team.  The rating team score includes your Manager/Supervisor and colleagues but does not include your self-perception.

All of your raters, including yourself, answered a number of questions which are now grouped under headings or Key Result Areas.  The Key Result Areas are not usually shown in the questionnaire.

Summary Graph

The large, first graph in the Current Performance Profile shows a summary picture of all Key Result Areas, and how your self-perception compares with those given by the rating team. 

The lines inside the circle show either the five, six or seven point perception scale.  You can see your score increases as the colour moves toward the outside of the circle.   The different perceptions are shown as:

·         Yourself  - red

·         Your feedback team  - green

·         Your manager/supervisor  - * (asterisk)

The Key Result Area headings around the circle are typed in different colours according to how you were perceived:

5 point perception scale

·         Green     - very positive (greater than or equal to 3.67)

·         Amber    - positive (between 2.33 and 3.67)

·         Red - challenge (less than 2.33)

6 point perception scale

·         Green - very positive (greater than or equal to 4.50)

·         Amber    - positive (between 3.00 and 4.50)

·         Red - challenge (less than 3.00)

7 point perception scale

·         Green - very positive (greater than or equal to 5.22)

·         Amber    - positive (between 3.44 and 5.22)

·         Red  - challenge (less than 3.44)

The border or perimeter of the circle is also colour coded in the same way.  This shows the average of all the Key Result Areas. It is also shown numerically at the bottom of the page as the Overall Perception.

Analysing The Summary Current Performance Perceptions

Which Key Result Areas were you perceived as strong by your feedback team? 

Your highest scoring area is listed as a strength in the bottom right corner of the page. If you have a Key Result Area that scored as a challenge, it will also be noted in red. When you have more than one the lowest score is shown as the challenge.

Where are the major perception gaps?

Look at each segment of the circle separately and compare how you rated your performance in that area (red) with how your rating team scored (green).  How did your Supervisor/Manager (*) rate your performance compared with yourself and the feedback team?

Are there any large gaps between how you rated your performance and how your feedback team or Supervisor/Manager scored your performance?

Try to determine if there are any global patterns. For example is your manager scoring you generally higher than anyone else?  The table below will assist you in thinking further about these patterns.

There can be many reasons contributing to overall patterns of perceptions. Remember that this is a process of discovery. The patterns and gaps should stimulate you to think about how your performance is currently perceived.  Now that you have given some thought to your overall performance, click on the individual Key Result Area graphs and explore them in more detail.

Analysing each Key Result Area in the Current Performance Perceptions

Each Key Result Area is shown as a heading at the top left of each page.  Each survey question is numbered and shown around the graph and in the table at the bottom of each page.  Each Key Result Area graph continues the same colour coding as outlined for the Summary Graph.

It is useful to look at each Key Result Area graph and consider the following questions.

How have you been perceived by your feedback team for each Key Result Area?

Which Key Result Area represents a challenge or strength?

How have you been perceived for each survey question?

Use the coding to see the average of the feedback team response for each survey question and identify your specific strengths and challenges.  You can also refer to the table underneath each graph.

What is the difference between your self and the feedback team’s perception of your current performance?

The gap between your perception and the feedback team’s perception of your current performance (including your Manager/Supervisor - Mgr) can be seen by looking at the difference between the red and green segments and the asterisk. This gap is also shown numerically in the table at the bottom of each page. The gaps can either be expressed as positive or negative numbers and are dependent on whether you scored yourself above or below the feedback team’s average.

Some of the perceptions will not surprise you and will result in only a small gap (less than ten percent) between your self-perception (red) and the team perception (green).  It is also interesting to look at how these compare with your Supervisor/Manager’s perception (*). 

To be effective, we should aim to have narrow gaps between our own self-perceptions and the perceptions of others.  When the gaps are narrow, the quality of communication is usually high.  A negative gap occurs when your self-perception is lower than your feedback team’s perception. When the reverse occurs it is referred to as a positive gap.

Guidelines for identifying gaps (negative or positive) worth considering are as follows:

·         5 point rating scale      greater than -0.5 or 0.5

·         6 point rating scale      greater than -0.6 or 0.6

·         7 point rating scale     greater than -0.7 or 0.7

Why do you think the larger negative gaps have occurred?

·         Is it possible that you are overly harsh on yourself?

·         Do you have a good understanding of what the team is looking for?

·         Do you know something they don’t know?

The list of possibilities is endless. Although a gap with a negative number sounds good, it may require action.  For example, if your self-perception is accurate and other people over estimate your current performance in a particular area they may place you in a situation where you are out of your depth.  Another example may be that your self-perception is inaccurate and you are overly harsh on yourself.  In this case you may not be proactive in seeking out valuable opportunities or your high standards may cause personal stress.

Why do you think the larger positive gaps have occurred?

The key to understanding differences in perceptions is to put yourself in the feedback team’s shoes.  Try to avoid feeling defensive.  It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:     

·         Are my intentions misunderstood?      

·         Do I communicate clearly?      

·         Is my behaviour consistent?    

·         Do I market myself well?          

·         How does stress affect my interaction with others?  It is easy to behave differently under stress.  You may forgive yourself because you know the circumstance but other people may view it differently.  For example does stress affect your completion of tasks or attention to detail?

If you are still unsure about the results it may help to have a chat with a trusted co-worker or your Manager/Supervisor.  It is normal to have gaps between your own self-perception to the perceptions of others.  The key is to become aware of any gaps and to take appropriate action.

Have you considered the range of perceptions in each survey item?

The average deviation (Avg Dev) score in the table gives an indication of how different people responded to each question.  All of the responses for each question (except your own) are added together and an average is calculated.  We then calculate the distance of each response from the average and average these distances.  This score becomes the Average Deviation.  On a 5-point scale the highest possible score is two, which would mean that your feedback team gave you either 1 or 5.  The lowest possible average deviation is 0, which would mean that your feedback team all scored you in the same way for that question.  It can be useful to look at the range of scores within each question.  Pinpoint the questions, which have a wider range and ask the following questions:

·         Am I consistent in my behaviour to everyone?

·         Do circumstances impact on the way I behave at work?

Have you taken note of the response rate (resp rate) for each survey item

This column indicates how many people actually responded to each survey item. In the case of a very low response rate you may choose to treat the perception more tentatively.

Current Performance Perspectives

Overview

This profile is based on your Current Performance Perceptions but includes a further breakdown of your feedback team’s responses. In the same format as the Current Performance Profile it includes a summary page and a graph for each Key Result Area.

The graph includes your Self Rating, Team Rating and Manager Rating from the Current Performance Perceptions and also includes the breakdown of the Team scores. Look at the legend on the left side of the page to identify how your feedback team has been broken down. Most profiles include two sub-groups such as Peers and Direct Reports.

Analysing Current Performance Perspectives

On the summary page, note the differences in scores from each rating group for each Key Result Area. Blank segments on the graph represent questions that were not relevant and were not answered by the respondents in that particular sub -group.

Turn to each Key Result Area and review the responses for each question.  The table at the bottom of the page shows the responses in numerical form. There may be many reasons for gaps or differences in the perceptions. For example often our Direct Reports are our harshest critics as they work closely with us and we have the most impact upon their work lives. Consider the following questions:

How much of a gap is there between the responses of each sub-group?

Apply the ten per cent guideline i.e. pay attention to the gaps that represent more than ten percent of the perception scale.  For example on a five-point scale this would be a gap more than either –5 or +5.

How important is the Key Result Area or behaviour to your interaction with each sub-group?

For example, if the Key Result Area is Customer Service and your external customers have rated you lower than your internal customers it may need serious attention.

The key benefit to be gained from this profile is the opportunity to consider whether different sub-groups perceive you differently. It is not unusual to discover that we may alter our behaviour with different groups. Consistency of behaviour and therefore small differences in perceptions is the ideal as it means that we are more predictable and easy to work with.

Current Performance/Importance

Overview

The Current Performance/Importance shows how your feedback team perceived your current performance and compares it with how they perceived each survey item in terms of importance to your role. 

The Current Performance/Importance helps you identify the gaps between your current performance and what is desired for someone in your role.  The report is valuable in pinpointing areas of significant gaps between how you currently perform and how you are expected to perform.

The first graph in the Current Performance/Importance shows a summary picture of all Key Result Areas.  It shows how your Current Performance perception compared with the average of the Importance given for each Key Result Area.  The profile then displays a separate page for each Key Result Area.

Summary Graph

The different perspectives are shown on each of the Current Performance/Importance graphs as:

·         Desired performance - purple  

·         Current performance  - green  

·         Supervisor/manager perception  - * (Asterisk)

·         Self perception - S

The Key Result Area headings around the circle are colour coded according to the gap between the importance of each area and your current performance perception in that area.  The two colours are:

·         Aqua - performing close to how the team rated importance

o        5 point rating scale   Gap of less than + or – 0.5

o        6 point rating scale   Gap of less than + or – 0.6

o        7 point rating scale   Gap of less than + or – 0.7

·         Magenta - not performing as close to how the team rated importance

o        5 point rating scale   Gap of greater than + or – 0.5

o        6 point rating scale   Gap of greater than + or – 0.6

o        7 point rating scale   Gap of greater than + or – 0.7

The border or perimeter of the circle is also colour coded in the same way.  This shows the average gap size of all of the Key Result Areas. This gap is also shown numerically as the Overall Gap at the bottom of the page.

Analysing Current Performance/Importance – Summary Graph

Consider the following questions to explore how your perceived current level of performance compares with the desired level of each Key Result Area:

Are there any large gaps between your current performance and the desired level of importance?

Try and identify any global patterns. For example you may be exceeding expectations on most Key Result Areas.

Is there a pattern in how your manager perceives your current performance compared with what they perceive as important?

Reviewing what your manager views as important can provide many insights. The manager (*) perceptions in the Importance segments reflect their current set of priorities for yourself.

Is there a gap between your own perception of your Current Performance and what you deem to be important?

If there are large gaps it may indicate a particular view of your role that is worth exploring. For example if you have perceived your current performance well above your perceived level of importance you may not be sufficiently challenged in your role.

Analysing Each Key Result Area in Current Performance/Importance

Each Key Result Area is shown as a heading at the top left of each page.  Each survey question is shown in the table at the bottom of each page. Each graph uses the same colour coding on the perimeter of the circle and text of each heading to show the perceptions for each question.

These gaps can be seen by looking at the difference between the green and purple segments and the position of the asterisk.  The gap is also shown numerically in the table at the bottom of each page, which includes your Supervisor/Manager rating.  The gaps can be expressed either as a positive or negative number (-), as your performance may fall above or below expectations.

Headings around the circle in aqua indicate you are performing within a reasonable range of expectation.  Headings in magenta indicate you are performing significantly above or below the expectations of yourself.  These areas obviously need to be explored and addressed further.                           

Identify areas in magenta, which indicate a significant gap between desired and current performance. Are there any negative number (-) gaps?

Although a gap with a negative number sounds good, it may require action.  It’s great that you are performing well in these areas, however, it’s important to maintain a balance that is appropriate to your role.  For example, a negative number gap could relate to a task that you perform particularly well and enjoy doing.  You may favour these tasks over other tasks which are equally or more important to your role.  You may require more discipline to tackle the tasks you dislike and monitor how much time you spend on the tasks you do like.

Are there any gaps with a positive number (+)?    

Positive number gaps indicate that your current performance is perceived lower than the level of importance.  It is important to consider why this is occurring. For example you may not have been in the role very long or you may not be meeting expectations.    You may not agree with the team’s perceptions of what they perceive to be important but it is useful to be aware of it.

In the Current Performance Perceptions, it was suggested that you meet with a trusted co-worker or your Supervisor if you did not understand how you were rated.   If you do not agree with how the desired level of performance has been rated, it may also be beneficial to discuss this with your Supervisor/Manager or colleague.  Perhaps you should also update your role.

Importance Perspectives

Overview

This report is based on the Importance scale of the Current Performance/Importance report and includes a further breakdown of your feedback team’s responses. In the same format as the Current Performance/Importance report, it includes a summary page of all Key Result Areas and then includes a graph for each one.

Analysing The Importance Perspectives

The graph includes your Self Rating, Team and Manager perception from the Importance section of the Current Performance/Importance report and also includes the breakdown of the Team perceptions. Look at the legend on the left side of the page to identify how your team has been broken down into sub-groups.

On the summary page note the differences in perceptions from each sub-group for each Key Result Area. Blank segments on the graph represent questions that were not relevant and were not answered by the respondents.

You can open each Key Result Area and review the responses for each question.  The table at the bottom of the page shows the responses in numerical form. Consider the following questions:

How much of a gap is there between the responses of each rating group?

Apply the ten percent guideline to determine which gaps are worth your consideration. When large gaps consider why they may have occurred. For example there may be one particular sub-group that is distant from your role and therefore does not really understand it.

Is there a pattern in the gaps?

There may be a pattern in the way a particular sub group ranks similar items as important. For example Direct Reports might perceive survey items that relate to communication as being of critical importance. It is important to remember that you are looking at different perceptions and that you do not have to agree with what other individuals and/or groups think is important. It is useful to know what these perceptions are and you may choose to act upon them.  Participants generally pay close attention to their manager’s perceptions of what is important!

Individual/Group Comparison

Overview

The Individual/Group Comparison shows how the average of responses from your feedback team on your current performance compared with the average of scores for all people who participated in the project.

The first graph in the Individual/Group Comparison shows an overall picture of all Key Result Areas, and how your team rating (Current Performance) compares with the average of the rest of your group.  Your team rating (Current Performance) is also included in the Team Rating (Group) score to produce a group average.  The report is then broken down into a separate page for each Key Result Area.

The different perspectives are shown on the Individual/Group Performance Comparison graph as:

·         The group’s average – orange 

·         Your team perception - lime     

·         Your supervisor/manager perception - *

·         Average of all supervisor/manager perceptions - *

The Key Result Area headings around the circle are colour coded to reflect your performance:      

·         Lime - higher than the group’s current performance   

·         Burgundy - lower than the group’s current performance

The border or perimeter of the circle is also colour coded in the same way.  This shows the comparison for all of the Key Result Areas.

Analysing The Individual Group Comparison

To find out how your level of performance compares with the group:

·      Check the perimeter colour of the circle.  Compare the colour coding to find how your current performance compares with the rest of the group: lime is performing higher than the group and burgundy is performing lower than the group.

·      Check the headings around the circle for each Key Result Area.  Once again, use the colour coding to see how you compare with the group average. Are there any large gaps between your current performance and the group’s average?  Remember it is also important to pay attention to the actual scores.  For example, it may not be sufficient to get a lime score if both your   team rating and the group average are low.  The colour is used only as a general guide.

Open each separate page for each Key Result Area to further review any gaps.

It is completely normal to fall below the group level of performance in some areas, and exceed the group level in others. Remember that the group you work with is a valuable learning and support network.

·         Share your knowledge and experiences with others in your group and help them improve their skills and behaviours.

·         Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Share your strengths and weaknesses with someone you look up to and respect, and           ask their advice.  You may be surprised what you learn.

Remember - It is not important to be seen as the best in the group.  It is important to know that you are doing the best you can!

Performance Snapshot

The Performance Snapshot provides you with a list of the perceived top five strengths you bring to your role and the top five challenges you face in your current role. Your rating team, including yourself was given a list of competencies to choose from.  The responses are combined and the five most popular responses are printed on your report.

The underlined competencies represent the ones you selected.  The number next to each competency indicates the number of people including yourself who chose each competency. The manager (m) rating indicates your manager’s choices. This profile is helpful in giving feedback on your particular strengths and challenges.  Hopefully it serves as a summary of the picture you have already built after reviewing the other profiles. You may notice that you have the same items nominated as both strengths and challenges.  This is an example of how different people may have different perceptions.

Performance Comments (Free Text)

Your report may include free text comments related to your performance. Our software collates the responses and presents them as they were written.  Free text comments can be very helpful as they can provide additional insight. Please try and avoid the guessing game as to who wrote specific comments.

Action Plan

The purpose of the 360-degree process is to help you in your development so it is important that you take the time to decide on some action to capitalise on what you learn.  It is recommended you fill in the Action Plan, which is located on the Web, with your report profiles. Simply list three insights you have gained from reviewing your report and three behaviours you plan to change.  It is likely that you will continue to think about your feedback, so please treat action planning as a continual process and add new actions as they come to mind.  If your project includes the Results Tracker feature, you will also be sent Results Tracker emails at regular intervals to help you continue your development.

The online Action Plan has been provided for you to record your thoughts and actions at various steps throughout the workbook. Now that you have gathered your thoughts turn them into specific and measurable actions.  Record the actions on your Action Plan which can be completed on line at the website. Make sure the actions are specific, realistic and achievable. Some typical actions may be:

·         Attend training

·         Record your time spent on activities and analyse how you are using your time

·         Organise your work area

·         Swap roles temporarily with someone else

·         Read a book on a relevant topic such as communication skills

·         Find a mentor

We also recommend that you copy your Action Plan and distribute it to your Manager/Supervisor and rating team.

Thank you for being involved in this process.  We wish you success in your development and hope that the use of Full Circle Feedback contributes to making your career more enjoyable and rewarding.