Upward feedback: when the team reviews its manager (without fear)
In upward feedback, people review their direct manager. It is the most direct way to learn how leadership feels from below: whether the manager gives clarity, listens, recognizes good work, and whether you can bring them a mistake.
It is also the most delicate review. If someone on the team thinks their manager might find out what they answered, they will answer what is safe, not what they think.
The rule that makes it work
Team
The team's result is only shown when 3 or more people answer. With fewer, it is pooled with another group or hidden.
The manager never sees individual answers, only the group result. And that result is only shown when at least 3 people answered. With a team of 2, any comment can be traced. That rule, explained before you start, is what raises honesty the most.
What to ask
As in any 360, ask about observable behaviors:
- Makes it clear what is expected of my work.
- Gives me feedback that helps me improve.
- Recognizes good work.
- I can tell them about a mistake without fear of the consequences.
- Stands up for the team with other departments.
- One open question: what should they start, stop or keep doing?
The question about reporting a mistake is especially useful. Teams where nobody dares to do it hide problems until they are big.
How to run it
It can be its own cycle or part of a 360. In SurvIQ's 360 Reviews you adjust who reviews whom, so you can leave each manager with their team as reviewers. The form uses the name of the person being reviewed and each reviewer signs in with their code.
What to do with the results
- The manager should receive them in a conversation, not by email (as with any 360 debrief).
- The manager should tell the team what they learned and what they will change. That gesture is what makes people answer next time.
- The review should not directly affect the manager's pay. If it does, the team knows it and answers more cautiously.