An Analysis of Personal and Professional Development in the United States Navy

Abstract : Employee development is among the most important functions of any organization. Since employees are arguably an organization's most important asset, organizations have an incentive to invest in, direct, and promote the development of their employees. As an organization, the U.S. Navy, too, provides for the personal and professional development of naval personnel. This thesis reviews the Navy's personal and professional development program and examines the possible use of 360-degree feedback in the development of naval personnel. Three-hundred sixty-degree feedback, also known as multi-source or multi-rater feedback, is a development tool that allows a person to receive feedback from his superiors, peers, subordinates, and in some cases, from internal and external customers. The Royal Australian Navy and the U.S. Army have implemented 360-degree feedback programs. The U.S. Navy also has included 360-degree feedback initiatives as part of several training programs, and has conducted a 360-degree pilot program. Evaluations of those 360-degree feedback initiatives have concluded that 360-degree feedback is beneficial to program participants. However, the Navy has yet to implement a Navy-wide 360-degree feedback program. This thesis concludes that implementing a 360-degree feedback program in the Navy would be a costly investment, but one that will yield major benefits.