HRD 2010: Cadbury introduces ‘720-degree’ feedback

Delegates at yesterday’s HRD conference could be forgiven for feeling a little dizzy after a presentation by Cadbury. Not content with 360 degree feedback for her new leadership development programme, Sarah Smith, head of the L&D centre of excellence for Cadbury UK&I, went a step further – “720 degree” feedback includes input from a leader’s family and friends, as well as business colleagues and direct reports. “The 720 degree approach gives people a very different view of themselves as leaders and individuals,” Smith explained. It proved an integral part of Cadbury’s transformational leadership programme, which also saw leaders become involved in long-term charity projects.
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School