360 feedback is a powerful tool for improving individual and team performance in organisations.

It involves collecting feedback from various sources, such as peers, supervisors, and subordinates, to provide a comprehensive view of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses.

At Credo Growth, we have seen that many companies struggle to implement effective 360 feedback programs despite its potential benefits.

So we’ve put together a list of common reasons why feedback fails:

1. Anonymity undermines credibility: One of the biggest criticisms of anonymous feedback is that people are less likely to take it seriously. If you want your team members to take feedback seriously, they must know who it’s coming from. People tend to be more honest and thoughtful when they know they will be held accountable for their feedback.
2. Fear of repercussions: Even when feedback is not anonymous, people may be reluctant to give critical feedback because they fear how it will be received by the team member or their leader. If a leader is perceived as aggressive or unapproachable, team members may be hesitant to share anything negative, even if it’s constructive criticism.
3. Scope to broad: is when there is too much freedom on what feedback to give. Feedback must be requested around a specific topic/area so that individuals feel they have been given permission to give feedback on that specific focus area. When the feedback requested is too broad and general, people often skirt around the tough topics and only focus on the fluff.
4. Lack of training: Giving and receiving feedback is a skill that requires practice and training. Unfortunately, too few companies provide their team members with the necessary training to do it effectively. As a result, team members may resort to shallow, surface-level feedback that doesn’t provide much value.
5. Failure to follow up: Even when team members receive feedback, they may not know what to do with it. They may feel offended or hurt or need more time to unpack the feedback with the giver. As a result, the feedback may be ignored or forgotten, and the opportunity for growth is lost.
6. Lack of understanding: Many team members may not understand the true value of 360 feedback. If they don’t understand how it’s used to improve performance or why it’s important, they may treat it as just another company initiative that doesn’t really matter.

To create a successful feedback culture, organisations need to address these issues. They need to ensure that feedback is credible and transparent, provide training to help team members give and receive feedback effectively, and follow up with team members to ensure that they understand and act on the feedback they receive.

When done well, 360 feedback can be a powerful tool for driving individual and organisational growth.