People who give and receive feedback need to believe that the information will be used to benefit others. If managers say that ratings will be anonymous, that feedback will remain confidential, and that the data will be used strictly to plan for individual development, will people believe them?
• Do people believe what their managers say?
• Do people believe that managers have their best interests in mind?
• Is formal performance feedback currently linked to pay and promotion?
Trust is hard-earned. People learn to trust their managers not so much by listening to what they say but by remembering what they do. While it can take months or years to earn trust, it can be lost in a single moment if managers don’t deliver on their promises. If there have been issues in the past, when executives talk about the usefulness and confidentiality of 360-degree feedback, people may wonder if there’s a downside. To protect themselves, they may imagine worst-case scenarios and resist a process that would otherwise benefit them.
Without trust, a 360 feedback program usually fails. If performance feedback has been tied to compensation or other personnel action in the past, people may find it hard to believe that ratings and comments will not be used for such decisions in the future. Believing that jobs or careers are at stake, they’ll find it difficult to give honest ratings. They may try to protect the job security of their friends or derail people with whom they don't get along. It's unrealistic to expect that ratings given in this climate will be consistently objective, honest and fair enough to produce valid data.
There is no shortcut to earning trust. The only thing that works is action. One way to overcome suspicions is to administer 360-degree feedback with top managers first. As people observe the process, hear what managers have to say and evaluate the consequences, they’ll be more willing to believe reports that the program will be objective, confidential and worth the effort.
It may be necessary to create several successes before widespread trust of 360 feedback is achieved. Typically, certain groups will see the value of the process and volunteer to be included next. With each successful round of assessment, people will spread the word about the benefit and safety of the process. The important thing is to enforce anonymity and confidentiality.