360-DEGREE FEEDBACK AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

If we had to identify the major areas of growth in relation to techniq ues for supporting leadership development, it would have to include us e of 360 degree feedback. At two recent US conferences (The 24th Inter national Congress on Assessment Centre Methods, May 1996, held in Wash ington, DC, and the First Annual Leadership Development Conference hel d in October 1996 in Boston), dedicated to presentations by researcher s and practitioners on the subject of leadership assessment and develo pment, the topic of multi-rater or multi-source feedback, as it is als o known, formed a key component. This paper will outline some of the r easons why this is the case, and some of the research findings that ha ve emerged in the last few years including issues relating to gender a nd perceptions of leadership. It wilt also describe how the author has been involved in introducing 360 degree feedback processes in several public sector organizations in the UK, together with lessons that hav e emerged.