Developmental 360: how feedback can make managers more effective

Discusses the effective use of 360‐degree feedback for enhancing managers’ self‐awareness and challenging them to engage in developmental work. Such feedback is instrumental for an unfreezing process in which managers are motivated to rethink their behaviour and its impact on others. A number of factors are important for maximizing the developmental potential of 360‐degree feedback: providing the manager with good data from multiple perspectives, encouraging openness to hearing and accepting feedback, a developmental plan that is acted on, and organizational support for development. In short, 360‐degree feedback needs to be embedded in a larger management development process.