Best examples of 360-degree feedback process examples for modern workplaces

1. A quick tour of real 360-degree feedback process examples

Before we talk theory, let’s start with how this actually looks on the ground. When people search for examples of 360-degree feedback process examples, what they really want is: Who’s involved? What happens first, second, third? What do good companies do differently?

Across industries in 2024–2025, the best examples share a few patterns:

• Feedback is tied to development, not surprise punishment.
• Participants get coaching or guidance, not just a PDF report.
• The process repeats over time, so people can see progress.

From tech startups to hospitals to government agencies, the structure is similar, but the examples include different goals, timelines, and tools. Let’s walk through concrete scenarios you can borrow.

2. Classic leadership development: 360 feedback for new managers

One of the most common examples of 360-degree feedback process examples is a leadership development program for new or emerging managers.

Imagine a mid-sized tech company with about 500 employees. They run a 6‑month “New Manager Academy.” In month two, every participant completes a 360.

Here’s how the process flows:

• HR sends a clear email explaining that the 360 is for development only, not performance ratings.
• Each manager nominates their manager, 4–6 peers, and 3–5 direct reports as raters.
• Everyone completes an online survey with behavior-based questions like:
  • “Gives clear direction when priorities change.”
  • “Responds constructively to feedback.”
  • “Builds trust in the team.”
• Raters answer on a 1–5 scale and add open comments.
• A certified coach walks each manager through their report in a 60‑minute session.
• The manager chooses 2–3 development goals and shares a simple action plan with their boss.

This example of a 360-degree feedback process works because:

• Expectations are set upfront.
• Feedback is confidential and aggregated.
• There is built-in coaching and follow-up.

This is one of the best examples to adapt if you’re starting from scratch.

3. High-potential talent program: 360s tied to succession planning

Another powerful example of 360-degree feedback process examples comes from companies that run “high-potential” or leadership pipeline programs.

Picture a global manufacturing firm identifying its next generation of plant leaders. They select 40 high-potential employees and put them through a year-long program. The 360 is used to spot strengths and blind spots that matter for future roles.

The process looks like this:

• HR defines a leadership competency model (for example: strategic thinking, collaboration, accountability, developing others).
• The 360 survey is built directly from that model so the feedback maps to real promotion criteria.
• Each participant gets rated by their manager, skip-level manager, peers in other departments, and direct reports.
• Results are shared in two places:
  • With the individual, in a confidential coaching session.
  • With the talent review committee, in a summarized, non-comment format.
• Development plans are created, and stretch assignments are matched to the feedback (for example, someone weak on cross-functional collaboration gets put on a cross-department project).

In this example of a 360 process, the tool feeds into succession planning, but the organization is careful not to weaponize comments. Quantitative data may inform promotion discussions, while qualitative comments stay with the individual and coach.

4. Team-level 360 for culture and collaboration

Not all examples of 360-degree feedback process examples focus on individuals. Some of the best examples use 360s at the team level.

Consider a product team that’s struggling with missed deadlines and finger-pointing. Instead of blaming one “problem person,” the leader runs a team-based 360:

• Everyone on the team rates everyone else on behaviors like:
  • “Shares information proactively.”
  • “Keeps commitments to the team.”
  • “Raises risks early instead of hiding them.”
• The feedback is aggregated and presented in a workshop, not as individual scorecards.
• The team looks at patterns: for example, maybe everyone scores low on “raises risks early,” which points to a psychological safety issue.
• The group co-creates 3–4 team norms and specific behaviors they’ll start/stop.
• After 90 days, a short pulse 360 checks progress on those norms.

This example of a 360-degree feedback process shifts the focus from “fixing people” to improving how the team operates. It’s especially effective in agile, project-based, or matrixed environments.

5. Executive coaching: 360s for senior leaders

Senior leaders often think they know how they’re perceived. A well-run 360 can be a reality check.

A common executive-level example of 360-degree feedback process examples looks like this:

• An external coach interviews 10–15 stakeholders: board members, direct reports, peers, key partners.
• Instead of a survey only, the coach uses a mix of structured questions and open conversation.
• Themes are synthesized into a narrative report:
  • Strengths: “Clear vision, strong external relationships.”
  • Risks: “Tends to shut down debate,” “Overrelies on a small inner circle.”
• The executive and coach meet to interpret the feedback and design a development roadmap.
• The executive shares 2–3 commitments with their leadership team (for example, “I will invite dissenting views before final decisions”).
• After 6–12 months, a shorter follow-up 360 checks whether behavior has changed.

This is one of the best examples of 360 use at the top because it combines qualitative depth with accountability. It’s less about scores and more about patterns.

6. Healthcare and safety-focused 360 feedback

In healthcare and other high-stakes environments, feedback isn’t just about “leadership style”; it connects directly to safety and quality.

For instance, a hospital might run a 360 for charge nurses or unit managers, focusing on behaviors that influence patient outcomes and team safety culture. Research from organizations like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has highlighted the link between communication, teamwork, and safety culture (ahrq.gov).

In a real example of 360-degree feedback process examples in healthcare:

• Raters include physicians, fellow nurses, technicians, and sometimes patient feedback data.
• Questions focus on:
  • “Encourages staff to speak up about safety concerns.”
  • “Responds constructively when errors are reported.”
  • “Supports work-life balance to reduce burnout.”
• Results are combined with unit-level safety metrics (near-misses, incident reports).
• The nurse leader works with an internal educator to build a targeted development plan.

This example of a 360 process shows how the tool can support not just careers but also organizational outcomes like safety and quality of care.

7. Startup-friendly 360: lightweight and iterative

Not every company can afford expensive platforms or external coaches. Some of the best examples are scrappy and simple.

Take a 60-person startup that wants better feedback but doesn’t want to drown people in surveys. Their examples of 360-degree feedback process examples tend to be short, frequent, and very focused.

A typical cycle might look like this:

• Twice a year, each manager invites 6–8 raters.
• The survey has just 8–10 questions, plus two comment prompts:
  • “What is one behavior I should do more of?”
  • “What is one behavior I should do less of?”
• The founder sends a company-wide note explaining why they’re doing this and modeling vulnerability by sharing their own feedback themes.
• There’s no formal coaching, but HR provides a simple one-page guide on how to read your report and build a plan.

This example of a 360-degree feedback process is low-cost but effective because it respects people’s time and emphasizes action over fancy dashboards.

8. 2024–2025 trends shaping 360 feedback processes

If you’re designing your own program and looking for the best examples of 360-degree feedback process examples to copy, it helps to know how the landscape is changing.

Recent trends include:

Shorter, more frequent cycles
Instead of a huge 360 every three years, many companies are moving to lighter annual or even semiannual versions. This keeps feedback relevant and easier to act on.

More behavior-based, fewer personality labels
Organizations are shifting away from vague traits (“is strategic”) toward observable behaviors (“connects team goals to company strategy in monthly meetings”). This aligns with modern leadership research from institutions like Harvard Business School (hbs.edu).

Clear boundaries between development and evaluation
Some organizations keep 360s strictly developmental. Others use them as one input into performance reviews. The best examples are transparent about which camp they’re in so employees don’t feel ambushed.

Better support for interpreting feedback
Companies are pairing 360s with manager training, internal coaching, or curated learning resources. For example, if a leader scores low on emotional intelligence, they might be directed to evidence-based materials from sources like the National Institutes of Health (nih.gov).

More attention to rater fatigue and bias
Leading organizations are trimming survey length and training raters on how to give balanced, specific feedback. There’s also more awareness of gender and racial bias in subjective ratings, so HR teams are monitoring patterns over time.

9. Step-by-step: building your own 360 feedback process (using these examples)

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can combine pieces from the examples of 360-degree feedback process examples above to build something that fits your culture.

Here’s a simple way to think about it, in plain language:

Start with the purpose
Is this 360 for leadership development, promotion decisions, team effectiveness, or executive coaching? Your purpose will shape who you invite as raters, what questions you ask, and how you use the data.

Define the behaviors that matter
Borrow from your competency model, or if you don’t have one, from credible leadership research (for example, work out of Harvard or similar institutions). Aim for clear, observable behaviors instead of vague traits.

Choose your rater groups thoughtfully
Most real examples include:

• Manager (and sometimes skip-level).
• Peers from other teams.
• Direct reports.
• Optional: customers, partners, internal stakeholders.

The goal is a full picture, not a popularity contest.

Communicate, communicate, communicate
Every strong example of 360-degree feedback process examples includes upfront communication:

• Why you’re doing this.
• How the data will be used.
• Who sees what.
• What support is available afterward.

Without this, people assume the worst.

Plan what happens after the report
This is where many programs fall apart. Build in:

• Time for participants to read and reflect.
• A conversation with a manager, coach, or mentor.
• A simple development plan (no more than 2–3 focus areas).
• Follow-up check-ins to track progress.

If you skip this part, even the best examples of 360-degree feedback process examples will feel like a one-off HR stunt.

10. Common mistakes to avoid (learn from bad examples too)

For every strong program, there are examples of 360-degree feedback process examples that quietly failed. The patterns are painfully consistent:

Using 360s as surprise performance weapons
If employees find out after the fact that their 360 scores were used in promotion or layoff decisions, trust evaporates.

Overlong, jargon-heavy surveys
If raters need a dictionary to understand the questions, they’ll rush through them or skip them entirely.

No training for managers
Managers need help reading reports, framing conversations, and supporting development. Without that, they may misinterpret data or turn the debrief into a defensive argument.

Ignoring rater bias
If certain groups consistently receive lower scores, HR should investigate patterns, not just blame individuals. Research on bias in performance ratings is well-documented in academic and professional HR literature.

No follow-up
People pour time into giving feedback, then never see visible change. That’s the fastest way to kill participation in future cycles.

Use these “bad” examples as guardrails when designing your own approach.

11. FAQs about 360-degree feedback process examples

Q1. What are some simple examples of 360-degree feedback process examples for small companies?
A small company might run a once-a-year 360 for managers using a short online survey with ratings from the manager, their boss, 3–5 peers, and all direct reports. HR explains that the data is for development only, shares individual reports, and asks each manager to pick two focus areas and review them with their boss.

Q2. Can you give an example of 360-degree feedback used in performance reviews?
Yes. A larger organization might use 360 results as one input into annual reviews for senior leaders. Raters complete surveys aligned to the leadership competency model. Scores are summarized and provided to both the leader and their manager. The manager considers the 360 data alongside business results and other metrics when making rating and promotion decisions, with clear communication ahead of time.

Q3. What examples include customers or external stakeholders as raters?
Customer success managers, account executives, and partnership leads often include key clients as raters. For example, a B2B SaaS company might invite 3–5 customer contacts to rate their account manager on responsiveness, problem-solving, and strategic value. That feedback is blended with internal ratings to guide development.

Q4. How often should a 360-degree feedback process run?
Most organizations use a 12–18 month cycle for full 360s. Some run lighter pulse versions in between. The best examples balance frequency with fatigue: often enough to show progress, not so often that people tune out.

Q5. What’s one example of making 360 feedback feel safer for employees?
A common approach is to require a minimum number of raters per group (for example, at least three direct reports) before any group scores are shown. Comments are anonymized and sometimes lightly edited for identifying details. HR also reinforces that retaliation based on feedback is not tolerated.

If you treat these examples of 360-degree feedback process examples as building blocks rather than strict templates, you can design something that fits your culture, your size, and your goals—and actually helps people grow instead of just checking an HR box.