Effective integration of 360 degree feedback into the coaching process

This practical paper is based on a skills session as delivered at the BPS Special Group in Coaching Psychology Conference held 2007 in London. The first part of our paper provides a review of the extant research evidence on 360 degree feedback at with focus on effects on individual development, making explicit links to the implications for coaching practice throughout. We conclude that 360 degree feedback is primarily effective when conceptualised and utilised as a finely grained means of instigating individual behaviour change and learning on job relevant attributes and facilitated by a skilled feedback giver. This provides a clear rationale for its use in coaching. We outline how an actual profile can be used as part of a coaching session, using the Saville Work Wave ® Performance 360 as an example