When 360 feedback is used for personal development, confidentiality becomes a key consideration. In most cases, participants are given full control over their feedback report - deciding who, if anyone, gets to see it and what actions they will take as a result. This approach helps to build trust in the process and supports honest participation.
While this model of participant ownership supports 360 feedback confidentiality, it can also restrict Line Managers from playing a more active role in supporting their team's development - something many organisations expect from their managers.
This article explores the challenge of protecting 360 feedback confidentiality while also ensuring that Line Managers are equipped to support development planning in a meaningful way.
When participants retain control over their feedback report, several important benefits emerge:
Confidentiality reassures respondents that their comments and ratings will only be seen by the participant. This reduces the pressure to soften criticism or inflate scores, resulting in more accurate and useful feedback.
Knowing that their feedback is private allows participants to engage openly with the process. They are more likely to reflect honestly, take on board critical messages, and use the insights to shape their development - without fear of judgement from managers or HR.
While confidentiality is critical, there are also valid reasons why organisations may want managers to have some access to 360 feedback insights:
However, granting access to managers can change the dynamic of the process and affect the quality of the feedback gathered.
Our research shows that when respondents believe their feedback will be shared more widely—particularly with Line Managers or HR - they often change how they respond:
These risks highlight why preserving 360 feedback confidentiality is essential when the goal is personal development.
Lumus360 offers a number of solutions that maintain participant confidentiality while giving Line Managers access to valuable development insights:
Participants are encouraged to share the key themes or development actions from their report with their Line Manager. While scores and comments remain confidential, this structured sharing helps support development planning without compromising trust.
This aggregated report brings together feedback data from multiple participants to highlight team or organisational trends - such as strengths, blind spots, and cultural themes - without revealing individual responses.
Designed to protect 360 feedback confidentiality, this summary report gives Line Managers a high - level view of the participant’s development needs using broad indicators (e.g. “key strength” or “development need”) without including ratings or comments.
Confidentiality in 360 feedback is not just about protecting data - it's about fostering trust, encouraging honesty, and enabling meaningful personal development. At the same time, organisations need ways to support development at scale. With the right tools and processes in place, it is possible to respect 360 feedback confidentiality while equipping managers to play an active, supportive role.
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