The impact of 360‐degree feedback on management skills development

Abstract This study investigated changes in the skill levels of managers which occurred two years following the managers' participation in 360‐degree feedback. The major objective was to investigate how skill development, development efforts, and environmental support for development are related. The Management Skills Profile (MSP) was used to measure skills and to give feedback. Of the original 198 managers who received feedback, 48 accepted the opportunity to complete the instrument again two years later. At that time, they also completed a questionnaire surveying what development activities they had completed and the extent to which they received support for development from their supervisor and the organization. The first hypothesis was that, for the group, (a) participants' skills would increase following feedback, and (b) self–other agreement would be greater at Time 2 than at Time 1. This was supported. The second hypothesis was that management skills would be related to later advancement. This also was supported. The third hypothesis was that skill development would be related to both development efforts and environmental support, and that some development activities would be more effective than others. Hypothesis four was that those who put more effort into development (a) would have received at Time 1 ratings which were more favorable and more congruent with their self‐ratings, and (b) would have received more environmental support. Hypotheses three and four were only partially supported. The results have implications for what managers can do to develop their skills and how others can support this development. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.