360-DEGREE FEEDBACK PLUS - BOOSTING THE POWER OF COWORKER RATINGS FOR EXECUTIVES

As useful as co-worker ratings can be, all too often managers are given feedback and nothing changes. This is not surprising, since habits die hard. But, what if, to stand a better chance of having an impact, the power of co-worker ratings were boosted? This article describes several possible boosters: follow-through, using verbal descriptions along with ratings; collecting data on motivation as well as behavior; getting a historical perspective on the individual's current managerial behavior; and gathering data on the individual outside of work. A caveat: The more data that are collected and the greater the depth of these data, the greater the responsibility of those who conduct such an exercise. Feedback PLUS means commitment PLUS. This is all the more true when all the boosters are used in concert-an intervention the author and his colleagues have employed with executives. (C) 1993 by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.