To foster transparency and honest feedback in the workplace, anonymity is sometimes necessary, as fear of job security or strained relationships can stifle constructive input. In our latest blog, we explore the best 12 360-degree feedback tools that empower employee performance improvement. These tools are essential for unlocking your team’s potential, promoting professional growth, and ensuring your organisation’s success. Discover the right tool to revamp your approach to performance management and development.
Introduction
Imagine a mirror that could show you a reflection of yourself from every angle, revealing your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. That’s the power of 360-degree feedback software and 360 feedback tools.
Unlike conventional performance reviews, 360 feedback assessments are a holistic approach to performance appraisal that gathers input from all stakeholders, including managers, peers, direct reports, and customers. This provides a well-rounded perspective that can help you identify areas for improvement and achieve your full potential.
What is 360 Degree Feedback?
Sometimes known as 360-degree assessment tools or 360 feedback tools, 360-degree feedback provides a comprehensive evaluation of employees, gathering feedback from various sources within the company. This tool offers a more encompassing perspective on individual strengths and areas for development, making it one of the most effective 360 evaluation tools available.
89% of companies in Malaysia and Singapore report improved employee performance after implementing 360 Degree Feedback Tools.
HR Insights Asia
This tool has evolved beyond its initial application for leaders and managers, expanding its reach across all levels of the organisation. It has become an invaluable 360-degree feedback app for personal and professional development, offering individuals a holistic view of their performance and aiding them in charting their path for improvement.
What are the Selection Criteria for a 360 Degree Feedback Tool?
Selecting the best 360-degree feedback tool is crucial for successful implementation in your company. Here are several essential criteria that can guide your decision-making process.
Alignment with organisational needs and goals
The best 360-degree feedback software should be customisable to your organisation’s specific needs. This allows the assessment questions, competencies, and rating scales to be tailored to your company’s strategic objectives and cultural values.
User-friendly interface for enhanced participation
The best 360-degree feedback software should come with an intuitive and accessible user interface that encourages active participation from both feedback providers and recipients can reduce administrative complexity and ensure a streamlined user experience.
Scalability to match organisational needs
The tool’s capacity should be scaled according to your organisation’s size and specific requirements, whether you are running a small business, managing a large corporation, or somewhere in between.
Data-driven decision-making with analytics
The best 360-degree feedback software should come with comprehensive reporting features and capabilities for advanced data analytics that can translate feedback data into actionable insights. This can help with facilitating informed decision-making and progress tracking.
Organisations that utilise 360 Degree Feedback Tools see a 27% increase in employee engagement in the Malaysia and Singapore regions.
People Management Asia
Seamless integration with HR ecosystem
The best 360-degree feedback software should come with comprehensive reporting features and capabilities for advanced data analytics that can translate feedback data into actionable insights. This can help with facilitating informed decision-making and progress tracking.
Inclusive support and training resources
Access to extensive training resources and responsive support in your 360-degree feedback tool can assist with implementation, user training, and swift resolution of any issues or inquiries that may arise during the feedback process.
Effective survey design and question library
A rich library of pre-built questions and the ability to design surveys that effectively capture the specific feedback required for your organisational goals.
Essential Features for Choosing the Best 360 Degree Feedback Tool
Choosing the best 360-degree feedback tool for your organisation is not just about finding any tool; it’s about finding the perfect fit that aligns with your workflow and enhances your performance management process. To guide you on this critical journey, we’ll explore the key features that should be at the forefront of your decision-making criteria when seeking the ideal 360-degree assessment tool.
77% of companies in Malaysia and Singapore believe that regular feedback through 360 Degree Assessments leads to higher productivity.
HRM Asia
- A customisable question bank and competency model – The best 360-degree feedback tool should offer a comprehensive question library, including a wide array of pre-built questions that are aligned with your organisation’s unique needs.
- Varied feedback collection methods – Look for 360 evaluation tools that provide multiple methods when gathering feedback, including online surveys, peer evaluations, and assessments by managers to capture a more holistic view of an individual’s performance.
- Robust 360-degree feedback reporting and analytics – Robust reporting capabilities can help to identify patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement, enabling data-driven decision-making in talent development and organisational strategy.
- Facilitated feedback delivery – Delivering feedback in a constructive and actionable manner ensures the recipient understands the feedback while creating personalised development plans.
- Support for goal setting and development plans – This makes it seamless for individuals and their managers to establish actionable objectives that align with the feedback insights.
- Multi-language and multi-platform accessibility – Ensure that the 360 evaluation tool offers support for multiple languages and platforms and accommodates different cultural and technological preferences.
- Feedback reminders and notifications – These ensure that the feedback process is completed in a timely manner while keeping the feedback collection on track and preventing delays.
- Scalability – Ensures the tool’s ability to adapt to your organisation’s growth, accommodating more participants and evolving feedback requirements over time.
360 Degree Feedback Tool vs. Performance Reviews
Once the cornerstone of employee evaluation, traditional performance reviews are now being replaced by the versatility and effectiveness of the 360-degree feedback app. Here, we delve into the distinctions between these evaluation methods, shedding light on why the best 360-degree feedback tools are gaining prominence and how they revolutionise the way organisations assess and develop their talent.
Why traditional performance reviews fall short
360 feedback assessments offer a comprehensive evaluation by providing a well-rounded understanding of employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and growth potential. Leveraging the best 360 feedback tools allows companies to go beyond one-dimensional reviews and tap into valuable insights from colleagues and subordinates. This leads to a more holistic and unbiased view of employees’ abilities and development needs, ultimately promoting enhanced performance and growth within the organisation.
82% of employees in Malaysia and Singapore prefer companies that provide regular feedback and performance evaluations using tools like 360 Degree Feedback.
JobStreet Insights
This table of comparison sums up the differences between the best 360 feedback tools and traditional performance reviews.
| Aspect | 360 degree Feedback Tools | Traditional Performance Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluators | Includes peers, direct reports, managers, and sometimes external stakeholders. | Typically conducted by a single manager or supervisor. |
| Perspectives | Provides a multi-faceted view of an employee’s performance with insights from various sources. | Offers a one-dimensional perspective based on the manager’s observations and biases. |
| Bias and Subjectivity | Tends to be more objective, as it aggregates feedback from diverse sources, reducing individual bias. | Prone to personal subjectivity and the manager’s own perceptions and biases. |
| Scope of Feedback | Covers a wide range of competencies, behaviours, and performance aspects, offering a comprehensive assessment. | Focus is limited to a narrow set of goals and key performance indicators, often neglecting valuable qualitative insights. |
| Timing and Frequency | Conducted regularly throughout the year, promoting continuous improvement and development. | Conducted annually or semi-annually, leading to limited opportunities for real-time adjustments. |
| Feedback Delivery | Feedback is delivered by multiple parties, providing a more constructive and balanced approach to communication. | Feedback is delivered by a single authority figure, which may lead to a less balanced and constructive exchange. |
| Impact on Development | Facilitates targeted growth and development plans by offering a holistic view of strengths and areas for improvement. | May miss important aspects of an employee’s performance and may not support targeted development effectively. |
| Flexibility and Adaptability | Highly customisable and adaptable to an organisation’s specific needs and culture. | Follows a fixed structure and may not easily adapt to changing organisational goals and values. |
Top 12 Best 360 Degree Feedback Tools
After carefully evaluating all the features, we have compiled a selection of the best 360 feedback tools for your convenience. Below, you will find a list of the 12 most highly recommended 360-degree feedback tools to explore.
Accendo’s 360-Five Multi-Rater Tool
Accendo’s 360-Five Multi-Rater tool is a 360 performance appraisal tool for employees based on their job performance from colleagues, subordinates, superiors, customers, and other stakeholders. The feedback serves as a foundation for identifying areas for improvement, leveraging strengths, setting goals, and planning professional development.
Additionally, 360-Five meets organisational talent needs, assists HR teams and managers in informed talent decision-making, and enhances talent management effectiveness by gathering both qualitative and quantitative feedback from various sources. This feedback also serves as a basis for performance discussions.
Why Accendo’s 360-Five?
- Comprehensive performance dashboard – It provides a holistic view of an employee’s performance across various competencies and skills. This includes technical skills, interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and others, which can be both qualitative and quantitative to provide complementary insights.
- Pre-built library – It offers a pre-built library with over 50 competencies and suggested questions, which can be customised according to an organisation’s competencies and needs.
- Mobile compatibility – It offers mobile compatibility which allows on-demand feedback to be captured anytime, anywhere.
- Easily integrate – TalentPulse simplifies 360-Five administration with candidate management tools for tracking progress, customising communication, and instant report downloads. It includes a self-service feature for admins to upload custom questions, manage participants, and ensure flexibility and efficiency in the evaluation process.
The 360-Five Multi-Rater consolidated report showcases an individual’s workplace behaviours across a range of competencies and skills. The report highlights their strengths and development areas based on the feedback provided, which can be used for performance and development conversations, including:
- Key highlights for targeted focus, such as highest and lowest rated competencies, oversight, hidden potential, and competencies that the participant outperforms others or to catch up on.
- A comparison between self-rating, ratings from others, and group average for each competency and their individual items.
- Overall qualitative feedback or feedback for each competency item.
- Competency items ranked from the highest to the lowest based on average ratings from others and compared against self-rating to identify key areas of discrepancies for further exploration.
- Detailed comparison of self-rating against ratings provided by each rater group for each competency item.
Qualtrics 360
Qualtrics 360 offers comprehensive insights into employee performance and engagement. Managers can easily collect feedback from peers, direct reports, and supervisors to create personalised development plans. As a result, employees receive well-rounded feedback which fosters their personal growth and professional development.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Advanced survey customisation to tailor questions and assessments
- Powerful reporting and analytics for actionable insights
- User-friendly interface for easy feedback collection
SurveyMonkey Engage
SurveyMonkey Engage simplifies the feedback collection process, enabling managers to gain valuable insights into team dynamics and individual performance. SurveyMonkey’s pre-built surveys and automated deployments help to remove the burden of program administration. Meanwhile, employees can provide feedback anonymously, thus encouraging candid responses.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Easy survey customisation with a range of question types
- Anonymous feedback option
- Real-time reporting and data visualisation
Glint 360 Feedback
Glint’s 360 Feedback program is designed to help employees become more effective by understanding how their own perceptions of their strengths and opportunities match or differ from how others perceive them. It focuses on improving employee engagement and performance, helping managers identify areas for development and action.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Advanced analytics and sentiment analysis
- Real-time engagement surveys
- Manager and employee dashboards for tracking progress
WorkTango
WorkTango is a versatile and comprehensive platform designed to enhance employee feedback and engagement in the workplace. With a focus on creating a culture of continuous improvement, WorkTango empowers both managers and employees by providing them with the tools and insights to boost performance and job satisfaction while creating tailored development plans.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Flexibility to design and customise feedback surveys
- Real-time feedback and reporting
- Creation of development plans with actionable steps for growth
Culture Amp
Culture Amp 360 is a performance management tool that gathers feedback from different sources to assess individual performance and improve engagement and leadership through data analysis. This is done via support for managers in improving team dynamics and performance through feedback, engagement surveys, and actionable insights.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Engaging survey templates for actionable insights
- Team collaboration tools
- Real-time feedback and reporting
Reviewsnap
Reviewsnap is a performance management software solution that facilitates extensive feedback and evaluation processes. It enables companies to gather feedback from multiple sources while streamlining performance reviews, goal setting, and development planning to help organisations improve employee performance, enhance accountability, and foster professional growth.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Customisable feedback assessments
- Goal setting and development planning
- Robust reporting and analytics
SurveySparrow
SurveySparrow is a software platform designed for creating and conducting surveys and feedback collection in an intuitive and user-friendly manner. It enables businesses to collect valuable insights and feedback from their audience through customisable and engaging surveys, helping them make data-driven decisions and enhance customer and employee experiences.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Automated videos for employee reviews and surveys
- Multi-lingual surveys
- Visual workflows to streamline operations
BambooHR
BambooHR’s Performance Management software streamlines performance reviews using targeted questions, promoting actionable insights. This enhances employee engagement and offers managers a tool to identify strengths, growth areas, and professional development opportunities using carefully designed questions through their 360-degree feedback tool.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Performance reports to support employee growth
- Automated reminders
- Performance assessments
Trakstar 360
Trakstar 360 is a performance management and feedback solution that facilitates employee assessment which contributes to a holistic evaluation of their strengths and areas for improvement. Trakstar 360 assists in enhancing self-awareness, setting development goals, and fostering continuous growth by offering well-rounded views of an individual’s performance.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Unlimited performance reviews
- Goal setting and development planning
- Real-time feedback and reporting
Motivosity
Motivosity is a rewards and recognition platform dedicated to cultivating your desired company culture by creating a lasting incentive structure. Their 360 feedback system benefits both managers and employees by blending rewards with real-time recognition, allowing employees to experience increased appreciation and visibility, leading to higher engagement and enthusiasm for their work.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Engagement tracking
- Manager-to-peer recognition
- Peer appraisals
EchoSpan
EchoSpan 360 is a performance management and feedback software that enables organisations to conduct 360-degree feedback assessments. The platform aids in identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and development opportunities while supporting professional growth and enhancing overall performance within the organisation.
Here are their top 3 features:
- Customisable feedback assessments
- Goal setting and development planning
- Analytics for leadership assessments
Why Top Companies Choose Accendo’s 360-Five Multi-Rater Tool Over Others
While there are many 360 feedback assessments to choose from, top companies opt for Accendo’s 360-Five Multi-Rater Tool for a range of compelling reasons. This powerful tool offers an array of features and advantages that set it apart from the competition, making it the preferred choice for organisations seeking a comprehensive and versatile solution for their feedback and evaluation needs.
- Mobile compatibility – Accendo’s 360 feedback assessment stands out with its mobile compatibility, ensuring accessibility and convenience for users on the go.
- Easy navigation – Users appreciate the tool’s user-friendly design, making it easy to navigate and complete the feedback process efficiently.
- Support for multiple rater groups – The tool accommodates various rater groups, including peers, supervisors, and subordinates, facilitating a well-rounded evaluation of an individual’s performance.
- Real-time feedback flexibility – Real-time feedback is enabled in different rating formats, from 5-point scales to open-text responses, enhancing the flexibility of the feedback process.
- Competency library – The tool comes equipped with an off-the-shelf competency library, offering suggested questions for evaluations, saving time and effort.
- Customisable framework – Customers have the flexibility to customise questions based on their specific framework, tailoring the feedback process to their unique needs.
- Open-ended feedback – Accendo’s tool allows for customisable open-ended questions, providing the opportunity to gather more detailed and insightful feedback.
- Individual reports – Users benefit from the tool’s ability to generate individual reports, summarising feedback and insights to aid in personal and professional development.
Key Actionable
Accendo‘s 360-Five Multi-Rater tool is a powerful resource for improving employee performance and development. Our 360 feedback assessment is part of our marketplace where organisations can use this tool across their talent management lifecycles to assess, develop, retain, and engage employees.
With Accendo’s 360-Five Multi-Rater tool, you can:
- Highlight strengths and weaknesses – Use the report to pinpoint an individual’s strengths and development areas based on the feedback provided to facilitate performance discussions and set development goals.
- Promote learning and development – Encourage employees to use the feedback, including qualitative comments and competency item rankings, as a basis for their personal development plans. Provide resources or training where needed.
- Track progress over time – Revisit the 360-Five Multi-Rater tool periodically to track an employee’s progress. This helps in measuring the impact of development efforts and making necessary adjustments.
Get a FREE trial with Accendo to unlock the full potential of the 360-Five Multi-Rater tool, leveraging valuable insights for improved employee performance and professional growth.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The 360 degree evaluation format gathers feedback from multiple perspectives, including self-assessment, peers, supervisors, and subordinates, to provide a comprehensive view of an individual’s performance.
An example of a 360 evaluation is when an employee assesses their own performance, and their manager, colleagues, and team members also provide feedback on their strengths and areas for improvement.
Best practices for 360 degree feedback include ensuring confidentiality, clear communication, specific and actionable feedback, and a focus on development rather than punishment.
360 degree feedback can be used as a tool for performance improvement by identifying an individual’s strengths and areas for development, helping them set goals, and providing a holistic view for targeted skill enhancement.
360 degree feedback is important in performance management because it offers a well-rounded assessment, fosters self-awareness, and promotes accountability, ultimately leading to more effective and motivated employees.
The most important benefit of a 360-degree review is its ability to provide a comprehensive and balanced view of an individual’s performance, leading to more accurate development and performance enhancement.
Characteristics of a good 360-degree feedback system include anonymity, a structured process, clear criteria, regular feedback cycles, and alignment with organisational goals and values.