Today, many businesses and the people who work in them are involved in complex activities that are complicated by interpersonal dynamics and lack of role clarification. Many managers rely on guesses or assumptions about how to deal with conflicts with employees or with employees who are not performing according to implied standards.
It is said that information is power. The Image Study is a powerful tool to help individuals make real and lasting changes. It helps them understand how others perceive them, and how to make sure that their intentions are in alignment with their behaviors.
Common Boundaries offers this comprehensive study targeted specifically to the individual. Both the participant and managers are provided concrete information to increase awareness of blind spots and obstacles holding back the employee. The participant comes away from the image study with a 360° view of how his or her behavior is perceived by others. He or she emerges with an action plan and clear steps moving forward -- ultimately gaining true self awareness and an opportunity to make real and lasting changes to behaviors and actions previously ignored or unseen.
Process
The employee engages 8-12 co-workers to be interviewed for the 360° feedback: superiors, peers and subordinates with whom they interact in the organization. The list of evaluators is agreed upon by the participant’s manager.
The consultant then conducts personal interviews with each evaluator. Interviews usually take 1¼ to 1½ hours. All feedback is anonymous. After each question is answered, the interviewer repeats the comments back to the interviewee for his or her agreement, and then the response is recorded into a tape recorder for later transcription.
Also contributing to the feedback is the interviewees completion of a Leadership Practices Inventory form, taking no more than 30 minutes. All information is confidential and is presented to the participant.
The participant receives the feedback face to face from the consultant. At that time, he or she will work with the consultant to uncover and outline themes and patterns found in the evaluations. From that, he or she will develop an action plan. The feedback loop is closed when the participant thanks the interviewees and shares what was learned and the action plan that was developed.
The Image Study can be a natural segue to further personal coaching to ensure the continued implementation of the action plan.