The Art and Science of 360 deg Feed

The Art and Science of 360 deg Feedback, Richard Lepsinger and Anntoinette D. Lucia, Jossey-Bass, 350 Sansome St., 5th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94104, 1997, 304 pp., $44.95.

At first glance, 360-degree feedback appears to be more of a human resources issue than a quality issue. Lepsinger and Lucia show how it can be more than a performance rating system, but also a performance improvement system, which, when used properly, meets the requirements of several quality system elements. The book begins by explaining what 360-degree feedback is and how it works, portraying it as a welcome addition to the tools of quality.

Chapter 2, The Uses of 360 Feedback: A Tool for Strategic Change, details the methodology as it is used in several large organizations. The lessons-learned section of the chapter is useful to anyone wishing to use 360-degree feedback. There are other valuable elements in this book, including examples of applications and outcomes of the methodology scattered throughout. The authors devote a chapter to choosing a feedback collection method and add more value with a checklist for selecting a questionnaire and sample worksheets for analyzing and interpreting the data.

Lepsinger and Lucia provide a detailed description of the methodology and its use. They have taken pains to stress the value of anonymous rating as well as the trade-offs involved in the interview method. There are case studies detailing software approaches, teambased approaches, and the Tom Peters Group approach, which uses 360-degree feedback to assess how leaders get extraordinary things done.

This methodology can be used to enhance performance, assess learning needs, supplement project management and process improvement efforts, and enhance performance management systems. Whether you are new to 360-degree feedback or a practitioner, this book can change the way you look at things.