Author: Rachael Stott
When viewed through a wider lens, 360 data becomes more than just a tool for personal growth. It can reveal the leadership patterns, cultural blind spots and strategic misalignments that shape performance at scale.
In short: it can turn individual insight into organisational wisdom. Here's how aggregated 360 data can transform leadership development:
Enable Targeted, Broader Interventions
Pinpoint Where to Focus Development Effort
Aggregated feedback shifts the conversation from “How can this leader improve?” to “What collective behaviours or mindsets need development?”. When common themes emerge—such as a lack of cross-functional collaboration—organisations can focus development resources more strategically. It enables investment in interventions that build collective capability, rather than piecemeal individual improvement.
Why this matters: It can help Talent and L&D teams to focus precious time and budget on the interventions that will have the biggest impact across the business.
Reveal Systemic Patterns
Spot the Blind Spots Hiding in Plain Sight
Aggregated 360 data reveals patterns that go beyond individual behaviour. By rolling up individual feedback, reputational blind-spots in teams or functions can become visible. For example, in our work with one large organisation, a department was known for being technically strong and this was reflected in high scores for Professional Skills. Yet aggregated data from feedback contributors outside the department revealed persistent challenges with collaboration. What had previously been “put up with” was uncovered as a systemic blind spot that subtly undermined organisational effectiveness.
Why this matters: It surfaces issues that may be widely experienced but not fully seen or loudly voiced, enabling proactive attention to key factors impacting performance and culture.
Support Strategic Alignment
Test whether leadership behaviours match strategy.
When aggregated, 360 feedback becomes a powerful way to check whether leadership behaviour is aligned with the organisation’s strategy and values. For example, if agility or innovation are strategic priorities but rarely show up in feedback themes, that gap becomes visible and therefore actionable.
Why this matters: It ensures leadership development is not just improving skills, but reinforcing the culture and strategy the organisation aspires to.
Create a Leadership Culture Dashboard
A real-time picture of the leadership culture you’re creating
Aggregated 360 data can act as a pulse check on leadership culture across the business. It helps track whether the organisation is actually living its leadership principles or values. For example, if "Empowerment" is a core value, but empowerment-related behaviours consistently rate low across leaders, it flags a disconnect between aspiration and reality. This helps leadership teams hold up a mirror to the culture they're creating - intentionally or otherwise.
Why this matters: With lead rather than lag measures of culture, development can shift from being reactive to intentional and evidence-based.
Supports Measurement Over Time
Track progress and prove what’s working
When aggregated across timepoints (e.g. annual 360 cycles), the data provides an empirical way to track trends and progress at group and organisational level. Are development initiatives landing? Are key capability areas strengthening over time? It becomes a valuable evaluation tool for the impact of L&D investments.
Why this matters: It helps justify investment in leadership development and informs ongoing programme design.
Where to next?
If you're already using 360 feedback for individual development, you're halfway there. The next step is simple but powerful: start looking across the data, not just down into it. Ask what it's telling you, not just about individuals, but about your leadership system as a whole.
We’d love to share how we’ve helped organisations do just that and what we’re seeing in the trends.
Need more information? Contact the Winsborough Team:
winsborough.co.nz | 0800 222 061 | support@winsborough.co.nz