How Can Universities Use 360-Degree Feedback to Develop Better Leaders?

Universities face some distinctive leadership challenges. Senior academics, Heads of School, Deans and professional services managers are expected to lead teams, manage change, deliver strategic objectives and create positive working environments.

However, university leadership does not always resemble management in other sectors.

Academic autonomy, complex governance arrangements, collegial decision-making and the relationship between academic and professional services teams can make leadership particularly challenging. This raises an important question for university HR and organisational development teams:

How can universities help their managers understand their leadership strengths and identify the behaviours they need to develop?

One increasingly established approach is 360-degree feedback, particularly when it has been designed specifically for higher education.

What Is 360-Degree Feedback for University Managers?

360-degree feedback is a structured leadership development process that gathers confidential feedback about an individual’s leadership behaviours from the people they work with.

For university managers, this will typically include:

• Their own manager or senior leader.
• Academic or professional services colleagues.
• Direct reports.
• Other colleagues who regularly experience their leadership.

Participants also complete a self-assessment, allowing them to compare how they perceive their leadership with how others experience it.

The results are presented in a confidential report, highlighting leadership strengths, potential blind spots and opportunities for development.

For example, a Head of Department might believe they communicate effectively because they regularly share information with colleagues. However, their 360 feedback might reveal that while colleagues appreciate the information provided, they would welcome greater involvement in decisions.

This distinction can be particularly valuable in universities, where consultation, collaboration and academic engagement are often essential to effective leadership.

Why Do Universities Need a Different Approach to 360-Degree Feedback?

Many leadership behaviours are relevant across different sectors. Effective communication, strategic thinking, delegation and developing others are important in almost every organisation.

However, the context in which these behaviours are demonstrated matters.

A university leader may need to influence colleagues over whom they have limited direct authority, balance competing academic priorities or implement organisational changes while maintaining constructive relationships with staff. In some collegiate environments, the head of department role rotates among staff, meaning they might manage the former or next head of department. They might also be tasked with something as specific as recruiting more Chinese students or ensuring an excellent Research Excellence Framework (REF) rating.

Similarly, a professional services director may need to introduce more efficient processes while ensuring that academic colleagues feel appropriately consulted.

A generic 360-degree feedback questionnaire may not adequately reflect these challenges.

A higher education 360 should therefore consider behaviours such as:

Strategic leadership

Can the individual translate the university’s strategic priorities into meaningful objectives for their faculty, department or service?

Collaboration and influence

Does the leader build effective relationships across academic and professional services boundaries?

Inclusive leadership

Do colleagues feel respected, listened to and encouraged to contribute different perspectives?

Managing change

Can the individual explain the reasons for change, address concerns constructively and help colleagues adapt?

Developing people

Does the leader provide appropriate support, feedback and opportunities for colleagues to develop?

The aim is not simply to measure general management competence. It is to understand how effectively someone leads within the particular environment of higher education.

Should Universities Use a Standard or Bespoke 360-Degree Feedback Questionnaire?

This is an important decision for university HR and organisational development teams.

There are two main approaches.

A higher education-specific 360 questionnaire

An established questionnaire developed specifically for university leaders can provide a practical and cost-effective starting point. It should reflect the leadership behaviours relevant to academic and professional services managers, rather than relying on a generic corporate management framework.

This approach may be particularly suitable for universities introducing 360 feedback for the first time or supporting a defined group of managers.

A bespoke university 360 questionnaire

Many universities already have well-developed leadership frameworks, behavioural expectations and organisational values. In these circumstances, it can be more effective to develop a questionnaire around the university’s existing framework.

This ensures that the feedback reinforces the institution’s own expectations rather than introducing a competing model of leadership.

An example: The University of Edinburgh

Protostar worked with the University of Edinburgh to develop a bespoke 360-degree feedback programme aligned with the University’s management framework, values and organisational culture.

Rather than introducing a generic competency model, Protostar translated the University’s existing leadership behaviours, staff expectations and diversity statements into clear, observable behaviours that colleagues could assess.

The project included:

• A bespoke questionnaire reflecting the University’s leadership framework.
• Two versions of the 360, accommodating managers with different levels of line management responsibility.
• A University-branded online portal, communications and feedback reports.
• A pilot involving two senior leaders before wider availability.
• Confidential feedback and facilitated leadership development sessions.

The objective was to create a process that felt relevant to Edinburgh’s leaders and supported the University’s existing approach to leadership development.

The example demonstrates why the design of a 360 questionnaire matters. Feedback is more useful when participants recognise the behaviours being assessed as relevant to their responsibilities and organisational culture.

Which University Leaders Should Receive 360-Degree Feedback?

360-degree feedback can benefit managers at different levels within higher education. However, universities do not necessarily need to introduce it across every management role simultaneously.

A targeted programme might initially focus on:

Heads of School and Heads of Department

These individuals frequently balance academic responsibilities with significant people management and leadership expectations.

Deans and senior academic leaders

Senior academic leaders may benefit from understanding how their strategic leadership, communication and decision-making are experienced by colleagues.

Professional services directors and managers

These leaders often manage complex services and must collaborate effectively with academic departments.

Newly appointed university managers

Academics moving into management positions may have considerable professional expertise but limited experience of formal people management.

Leaders responsible for organisational change

Feedback can help managers understand how effectively they communicate change, involve colleagues and maintain trust during periods of uncertainty.

A phased programme can help universities focus development resources where they are most needed.

How Can Universities Ensure 360-Degree Feedback Leads to Real Development?

One of the biggest mistakes organisations make with 360-degree feedback is assuming that providing a detailed report will automatically improve leadership.

It rarely works that way.

A report may contain dozens of ratings and written comments, but participants need help interpreting what the findings mean.

For example, a university manager might receive relatively low scores for delegation. However, the underlying issue could be that they are reluctant to delegate because they believe their colleagues are already overloaded. Simply advising them to delegate more would overlook the real leadership challenge.

A facilitated feedback discussion can explore the reasons behind the results and identify practical changes.

At Protostar, our university 360 programmes include two confidential one-to-one development sessions.

The first is a 90-minute session to explore the feedback, understand differences in perception and identify potential development priorities.

The second is a 60-minute session focused on developing a practical action plan.

This approach gives participants time to reflect rather than expecting them to interpret their results and decide what to do in a single meeting.

A useful development plan should identify a small number of meaningful behavioural changes, how these will be implemented and how progress will be recognised.

Should University 360-Degree Feedback Be Confidential?

Confidentiality is particularly important in higher education, where professional relationships, academic hierarchies and departmental dynamics can be complex.

Participants and feedback providers need to understand that the purpose of the process is leadership development rather than formal performance assessment.

If colleagues believe their comments could influence appraisal outcomes or employment decisions, they may be less willing to provide honest feedback. Similarly, managers may become defensive if they believe the results will be used to judge their performance.

A development-focused process should therefore establish clear expectations about confidentiality, how feedback will be reported and who will have access to the results.

Individual feedback reports should normally remain confidential, while participants can be encouraged to share their agreed development priorities with their manager.

Universities can also use anonymised findings across groups of participants to identify common leadership development needs without disclosing individual results.

Can 360-Degree Feedback Help Universities Improve Leadership Across the Institution?

Although 360 feedback focuses on individual development, it can also provide valuable organisational insight.

For example, if a university identifies recurring development needs around communication, delegation or collaboration, these findings may help inform future leadership development programmes.

This is particularly useful when universities are reviewing the effectiveness of existing management development activities.

However, aggregated results need to be interpreted carefully. Differences between academic and professional services roles, management levels and departmental cultures can influence the findings.

The purpose should not be to create league tables of university managers.

Instead, the information should help HR and organisational development teams understand where additional leadership support could make the greatest difference.

What Should Universities Look for in a 360-Degree Feedback Provider?

When selecting a 360-degree feedback provider, universities should consider more than the questionnaire or online platform.

Important considerations include:

• Higher education experience: Does the provider understand the different responsibilities of academic and professional services leaders?
• Relevant leadership behaviours: Is the questionnaire designed for universities, or can it be tailored to the institution’s framework?
• Confidentiality: Are feedback providers and participants given clear assurances about how their information will be handled?
• Experienced facilitators: Will participants receive support from someone who understands leadership development?
• Practical development planning: Does the process lead to meaningful actions rather than simply producing a report?
• Implementation support: Can the provider manage communications, administration, reporting and participant support?
• Information security: Can the provider meet the university’s data protection, information security and procurement requirements?

The last point can be particularly important for larger institutions.

Universities may have extensive supplier assurance and cybersecurity requirements, so these should be considered early rather than after selecting a questionnaire.

Making 360-Degree Feedback Work in Higher Education

360-degree feedback can be a valuable part of university leadership development, but its effectiveness depends on more than collecting ratings from colleagues.

The questionnaire must reflect the realities of university leadership. Participants need confidence in the confidentiality of the process, and feedback should be interpreted constructively.

Most importantly, the process should help leaders identify practical changes that improve how they work with colleagues.

For university HR and organisational development teams, the key question is not simply whether to introduce 360-degree feedback.

It is how to design and deliver a process that genuinely helps academic and professional services leaders become more effective.

Protostar has supported university leadership development since 2007, working with institutions including the University of Edinburgh, Durham University and the University of Lancashire.

Our 360-degree feedback programmes for universities combine higher education-specific questionnaires, confidential feedback and facilitated development planning.

We can also develop bespoke 360 questionnaires aligned with a university’s existing leadership framework and values.

Universities considering introducing or reviewing their 360-degree feedback approach are welcome to contact Protostar to discuss their requirements.