360-Degree Feedback

360-Degree Feedback Self-Development Process
Information for Joint Command and Staff Programme Students

360-DEGREE FEEDBACK

360-Degree Feedback is an extremely powerful process used by organizations to support individual growth and leadership development. Professional leaders who take a professional attitude toward their work want and seek out feedback about their performance. They not only want to know how their superiors perceive them, they also want to know how their peers and subordinates view them. Professionals want to know what is working and what is not. Most importantly, they want to know how to enhance their effectiveness. The 360-Degree Feedback Self-Development Process provides a unique opportunity to gain self-knowledge and to create a “Personal Development Plan” to leverage individual strengths and to address aspects of their leadership skill set that may need refining to achieve maximum effectiveness.

PARTICIPATION

The 360-Degree Feedback Self-Development Process is an approved Joint Command and Staff Programme curriculum activity. All Canadian Forces officers attending JCSP are required to participate in it. The process is also made available, on a voluntary basis, to international officers attending the course. “Participants” are those individuals who will be receiving feedback as part of this process. “Raters” are the individuals whom participants will ask to provide them with feedback as part of this process.

CONDUCT OF THE ACTIVITY

Specialists in the Department of Military Psychology and Leadership at the Royal Military College of Canada will administer the 360-Degree Feedback Self-Development Process on behalf of CFC. A custom-tailored 360-Degree Survey instrument that was developed specifically by the Department of National Defence for the rank and experience level of students on the Joint Command and Staff Programme will be used.

Early in the First Term of the Joint Command and Staff Programme, participants will receive a briefing to explain the purpose and methodology of the 360-Degree Feedback Self-Development Process. Following this, participants will submit their rater lists to RMCC. RMCC will then initiate contact with the raters via e-mail to commence the survey process. Participants will also be contacted by RMCC to complete their survey requirements. Once the data have been collected, it will be aggregated for each participant. After the distribution of the individual reports, the “coaches” will begin conducting one-on-one debriefing sessions (approximately 50-60 minutes each). In preparation for these sessions, participants will need to spend some time analysing their personal reports. The “coaches” are individuals who specialize in leadership development programmes. They will provide an interpretation of the report results and assist the participants in framing their personal development plan. On completion of the one-on-one debriefing session, each participant will be required to create a “Personal Development Plan” that will be subsequently submitted to and reviewed by the “coach.” Once this is satisfactorily completed, RMCC will confirm to CFC that participants have completed the 360-Degree Feedback Self-Development Process, and thus, met the CFC curriculum activity requirement.

It should be noted here that the outputs from this activity are intended solely for the enhancement of an individual participant’s future performance. They will not be forwarded to, or used by, the CFC or CF/DND as an assessment mechanism. The data collected and identifiable with an individual, and the subsequent individual consolidated feedback reports, will be available only to the RMCC personnel administering the activity for CFC and the individuals to whom they pertain. Participants’ informed consent will be requested to authorize use of data for research to improve the 360-Degree survey instrument.

PRE-COURSE PREPARATION

In preparation for this activity, all participants are to seek out volunteer “raters” as follows:

  • Superiors — minimum of two to three recommended;
  • Peers — minimum of three; four to five recommended; and
  • Subordinates — minimum of three; four to five recommended.

Participants must arrive at CFC with Annex A completed. Annex A will be collected during in-clearance on Day 1.

Ideally these raters should be CF military or DND personnel from the participant’s most recent units. In some cases, due to employment and personal circumstances, participants may need to choose their raters from a wide range of non-CF and civilian candidates. This is quite acceptable and in all cases participants are free to choose the raters they believe will provide them with the most meaningful feedback. The most important considerations in choosing raters are: the length of time the rater has known the participant (longer is better) and the length of time since the rater has last observed the participant’s performance (shorter is better).

Each of these individuals should be provided with a copy of the document entitled “Information for Raters” that explains the nature and purpose of the activity.

They should also be advised that they will be contacted by RMCC via e-mail in the early fall regarding the data collection process. Raters should also be assured that the results of all rater feedback are statistically aggregated to ensure rater anonymity.

If you have questions about any aspect of this activity please contact LCol Danylchuk at the CFC. He may be reached at 416-482-6800, extension 6884. You can also contact him by e-mail.

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