"Consider that providing meaningful feedback is a life skill and receiving feedback is the highest honour. It means that person is invested in your growth and development." — Ron Wiens
Progressive companies are using appreciative inquiry to change their culture. At Leadership that Works, we've developed a web-based 360 Feedback Survey that incorporates appreciative inquiry. We customize each survey based on the competencies your organization needs to develop. Below is an example of a survey that inspires personal and organizational transformation.

360 Feedback Survey Using Appreciative Inquiry

There are two commonly accepted methods for change: focus on what is wrong and do less of it or focus on what is right and do more of it. The latter has been shown to be twice as effective. This 360 feedback survey is based on appreciative inquiry, a process that does not assume the glass is half empty, but looks at how it came to be half full, exploring the root cause of success rather then the root cause of failure.

David Cooperrider and Jane Magruder Watkins, pioneers in the appreciative inquiry field, tell the story of a bowling match that was videotaped. For one team, the experimenters edited out all of the mistakes and showed the team the film of everything they had done right. For the second team, they edited out everything done right and used the more traditional training method of showing the team its mistakes and strategizing how to correct them. While both teams improved, the team seeing what they did right had 100% greater improvement than did the team that was shown its mistakes.

This 360 Feedback Survey is an appreciative inquiry tool designed to help team members learn about the value of their performance and heighten their awareness of their potential. We provide a series of questions for you to answer to help recipients leverage their assets and develop their full potential. Some questions may not be applicable or may be difficult to answer, so please answer only the questions that you think will be useful to the recipient.

Most 360 Feedback tools are anonymous, but we believe that open, honest communication fosters trust and inspires growth. The people whose performance you are reviewing deserve to know that you are investing in their future! We encourage you to put your initials after each of your responses, and that way the recipient can get additional clarification if desired.

This survey is designed by Martha Lasley and Virginia Kellogg from Leadership that Works, and is based on the work of Neil Samuels and David Cooperrider.

Thank you for investing in this person's future!

Indicate the name of the person REQUESTING feedback.
First Name
Last Name

1. Think about a time when you noticed that this person seemed highly motivated and performed very well. In thinking about that story, what were the character traits that emerged?

2. What makes it enjoyable and exciting to work with this person?

3. How has this person contributed to your success? What are some of the ways that this person has enabled you to do your best work?

4. Tell us some examples of work this person has done which has significantly impacted performance within the company or within client companies? As you think about the examples, what were the significant things this person did as the catalyst for success?

For the next 8 fields, give an example of how this person has demonstrated talent for each competency. Then offer one wish for developing this competency even further.

5. Visioning: Inspires a desirable future and helps ensure a shared vision.

6. Making Decisions: Identifies important issues, helps the team analyze complex situations, identifies the key issues, and makes wise choices.

7. Fostering Creativity and Innovation: Creates a climate where innovation flourishes; challenges convention to find better ways of getting things done.

8. Developing Teamwork: Leverages talents within the team and with other internal or external groups.

9. Building Relationships: Encourages and supports diversity, and recognizes peoples' contributions.

10. Communicating Powerfully: listens to ensure understanding, connects authentically and fosters effective communication throughout the team.

11. Developing Self and Others: Gives and receives feedback as a gift, and effectively develops self and others.

12. Integrity and Honesty: Is trustworthy, follows through on commitments and models integrity.

13. When you think of this person overall, what are this person's greatest strengths? How could this person better utilize those strengths to the benefit the team or the company?

14. What three things do you wish for that would make this person even more effective?

15. What's the biggest positive change you've seen in this person this year?

16. What do you need that this person might be able to provide?

17. What requests do you have of this person?

Give us a call at 570-297-2270 for more information on our web-based custom designed 360 Feedback Survey.