A Feedback Approach to Management Development

Upward feedback surveys are a way to collect anonymous information from subordinates on management dimensions that are important to the organisation. In addition to being a source of information for development and performance appraisal, the information, when aggregated across managers, can be a needs analysis for establishing and updating a management curriculum – that is, a source of information about what development programmes managers need for improvement. Guidelines and issues in designing, administering, and evaluating a survey feedback process are focused on. Specifically, how to develop appropriate questions for a survey, administer the survey, feed back the information to managers, and evaluate the effectiveness of the process are considered.