Organizations with an existing employee survey program have an opportunity to get more out of this one listening effort; they can embed a 180-degree assessment right into the survey.
A 180 assessment provides leadership feedback from an individual’s direct reports, with the goal of fostering better employee development based on the competencies that matter most to your organization.
Embedding a 180-degree assessment into an employee survey can give organizations a fresh baseline of leadership behavior, connect leader effectiveness to broader employee experience data, and create a natural entry point for building a stronger culture of feedback.
[Read More: OV Guide to 180 and 360 Assessments]
Employees experience leadership through the day-to-day behaviors that shape their work: communication, trust, inclusion, accountability, support, decision-making and the ability to translate organizational priorities into action. These are all typically areas that are included in employee surveys, so why not go further and ask specific questions about how employees are experiencing these aspects through their leaders?
By embedding the 180 into the survey, organizations can establish a current baseline of leadership effectiveness alongside broader employee experience measures. That baseline is useful anytime, but can be especially valuable during periods of transition, such as a restructuring, merger or acquisition, or new business strategy.
[Read More: The Strategic Imperative - 180 & 360 Feedback]
While many of our clients have a robust listening program that includes both employee surveys and separate 180 or 360 assessments, embedding the 180 into the survey is a great option for organizations looking to explore this development tool without committing to a separate effort. They also naturally tie in well together, as the survey highlights what employees are experiencing, while the 180 focuses on the leadership behaviors impacting the employees’ experiences.
For organizations that are interested in exploring whether a 180 or 360 is a useful tool for them, this combined effort provides a low-risk way to see how the data fits into other listening initiatives. It also sends the message that leadership feedback is how the organization learns and improves, as it does with the other feedback it gets from the survey.
For an organization concerned about survey fatigue or too many touchpoints, the combination of the 180 within a survey makes it a more seamless effort. Organizations have already encouraged employees to participate in an employee survey, and adding a few questions about leadership won’t drastically increase the amount of time needed. As long as the survey is tied to the organization’s HRIS system, it is easy for a survey vendor like OrgVitality to dynamically insert leaders’ names into the survey. And instead of asking employees to take an employee survey and then returning later with another request for feedback, organizations can create a more integrated listening experience.
Of course, this doesn't guarantee a strong 180 (or even strong employee survey) response rate. You still need to have a robust communications strategy that includes information around privacy, confidentiality, and future plans to act on the data. But reducing the number of separate asks can remove one potential barrier to participation.
[Read More: Boost Your Employee Survey Response Rate]
The best way to embed a 180 into the survey is to keep the leadership items focused and purposeful. Organizations should identify a small number of leadership behaviors that are particularly important to their strategic priorities, which can then be measured alongside the broader employee survey. You may be evaluating just the local manager, or multiple levels up the hierarchy.
"My leader (Name) creates an environment where people can raise concerns and express different perspectives."
"My leader’s leader (Name) creates an environment where people can raise concerns and express different perspectives."
This allows measurement of leaders across the organization on key behaviors, from both their direct reports and their full organization.
As with employee surveys, the real value of a 180 is what the organization, and the specific leader, does with the information. The initial assessment can establish a baseline, identify common strengths and development opportunities, and give leaders specific feedback to consider. Even if you choose to commingle your survey and 180, it may be more effective to separate the leadership development efforts from the survey action. You can do this by providing coaching opportunities to leaders, providing them with specific training or development opportunities, and providing an opportunity for them to discuss their results with their own leaders. Organizations can also use the results to inform leadership development, coaching, manager programs and organizational priorities.
In this way, the first embedded 180 becomes more than an additional set of survey questions; it becomes the beginning of a broader feedback strategy.
Employee listening is most powerful when different sources of data don't exist in separate silos, and embedding the 180 into the survey helps leaders recognize this. When the two feedback efforts are intentionally designed to work together, organizations can move from simply collecting more data to developing a more connected understanding of what employees need to thrive.