GFB blog

Watson Glaser: a strong predictor of future performance | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:15:00 GMT

See how a top 10 Global Law Firm client uses Watson Glaser data to predict future success

Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal: a strong predictor of future performance in role

Since 2013, our client, a top 10 Global Law Firm has implemented the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal as part of their Early Talent recruitment and assessment process. Receiving over 1500 applications per year, the use of the Watson Glaser assessment has enabled the firm to streamline their application process and recruit exceptional talent.

Ongoing regular review has been a key aspect in ensuring the Watson Glaser remains a relevant tool for the firm to use. A recent data review highlighted the Watson Glaser as a strong predictor of success at both assessment day and beyond to performance in role.

“As a progressive and dynamic law firm, it is important that we continually assess the validity of our assessment tools. The clear correlation identified in our recent study (between the Watson Glaser percentile score and future trainee performance) is a strong indicator that we have the right tools in place to continue recruiting top future talent into the firm”, Early Talent Manager.

Data review

Our client's review compared individual Watson Glaser score with:

(a) their performance in role at trainee level measured by averaging performance ratings (scored out of 5)

(b) their final stage assessment day scores. This is a virtual assessment comprising of two parts:

1) a 1:1 meeting with a partner consisting of a competency-based interview and case-study

2) a group exercise.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 below, our client saw a clear correlation between performance in role at trainee level and the Watson Glaser score, most notably at the very bottom and top of the range. The assessment day data in Fig. 2 below showed a similar correlation, where those candidates scoring in the top 30% of the Watson Glaser score also achieved the highest overall assessment day scores.

Abigail Clayton, Client Director at GFB, explains, “At GFB we encourage all our clients to review their assessment use and internal performance data to ensure their relevance and validity. These results are a common finding for both our legal and other sector graduate recruitment schemes and it’s great to be able to share the details of this review. The robust standardisation, reliability and validity of the Watson Glaser tool ensures that it is one of the most trusted instruments available which is consistently identified as one of the strongest predictors of performance in role.”

Fig.1 Fig.2

About the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a higher-level ability assessment which assesses an individual's capability for critical thinking — a discrete skill distinct from, but not independent of, overall intellectual intelligence. The tool is available online and contains 40 items drawn from an item bank and candidates have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the assessment, although reasonable adjustments can be made. The assessment can be used for selection and development and is suitable for Senior Leader, Manager and Graduate roles.

Further information

For further information, please contact Abigail Clayton, Client Director, GFB at abigail.clayton@gfbgroup.com or call: +44 (0) 3330 902 580.

The Perfect Partnership: Growing Capability in Ghana | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Find out how GFB have been supporting Capability Trust with a range of people measurement services through our Partner programme.

"The GFB system is excellent. It's easy to use, flexible and allows you to quickly deliver a bespoke product for your clients in a very simple way. The initial technical set up of the 360 went very smoothly and the online platform is easy to administer", Effie Cooke, Executive Director and Founder of Capability Trust.

Capability Trust is a people and learning organisation, based in Ghana, which specialises in helping businesses create great workplaces and recruit and develop skilled and engaged talent. Through our Partner programme, GFB have been supporting Capability Trust with a range of people measurement tools and services to support their client projects and help them to grow their already successful business.

Capability Trust were approached by their client, Africa's leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company, to help them to develop a bespoke 360 degree feedback survey. The multi-national client has interests in over 80 exploration and production licences across 16 countries.

"I was looking for a partner to help me to develop a bespoke 360 feedback survey based on my client's core leadership competencies which they had recently defined" explains Effie Cooke, Executive Director and Founder of Capability Trust. "My client did not want an off the shelf product so I needed a partner who could work with me to create a unique tool."

Abigail Clayton, Client Director at GFB, explains "Our online platform provides our partners with direct access to a range of assessments and surveys which can be delivered directly to their customers. In many cases our tools can be branded with our partner's or their client's logo to provide a fully integrated experience. As in this case, we can also host or help our partners to develop bespoke surveys and tools allowing our partners to deliver tools designed by them to meet their client's individual needs."

The GFB technical team built the bespoke 360 degree feedback survey which was initially rolled out to a pre-identified talent pool of 16 managers. "The feedback we received from the first 360 cohort was excellent - it provided a real eye opener for the survey participants and successfully highlighted key development areas for my client to target," explains Effie Cooke. In fact, the model was such a success that the client went on to develop a wider line manager development programme, incorporating the 360 degree feedback survey, which is currently being rolled out to the 85-people-strong line management team of the clients' Ghanaian operation.

"The GFB team are always very quick to respond to my requests, which in turn allows me to deliver to my clients in the most efficient way possible" explains Effie Cooke. “My relationship with GFB has been fantastic and I couldn’t be happier with the service I have received”.

Our flexible online platform offers direct access 24 hours a day, furthermore GFB partners are given access to our secure partner portal area containing test manuals, sample reports and advice and guidance on the range of assessments we offer.

At GFB we are dedicated to providing our partners with the tools and support needed to help them to deliver impactful client projects and build their reputation and grow their business. Effie Cooke shares the wider business benefits of Capability Trust's partnership with GFB, "Through GFB, I have been able to expand my product offering to include a wide range of psychometric assessments, off the shelf and bespoke 360 degree feedback surveys. Capability Trust is now an organisation which can deliver world class assessments in a new market place."

For further information about the GFB Partner Programme, please contact Abigail Clayton, Client Director at abigail.clayton@getfeedback.net or call ++44 (0)3330 902 580.

Spratley & Partners: developing our leadership capability | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:15:00 GMT

Discover how GFB worked with Spratley & Partners to help grow their capability as a leadership team

Data from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in 2015 showed that nearly three-quarters of SMEs in England wanted to improve leadership and management skills. It has also been demonstrated that effective management practices help explain differences in firm level performance and underlie international variations in economic performance.[i]

Strong growth

Spratley & Partners is an approachable team of architects with a reputation for maximising potential: of people, design, planning and return on investment. They have built a strong reputation in the South East for working with clients in a collaborative way to deliver beautifully designed and commercially viable buildings. The practice has grown on the back of their reputation for forming enduring relationships with their clients.

As the practice has grown, so has the need for strong people leadership. The team are all extremely well skilled but had not had any bespoke, formal, leadership training. Experiential learning is one of the most effective ways of learning, however, when partnered with formal learning and coaching feedback, the end result is far greater and can be much more targeted to the needs of a leadership team.

Flexible delivery time

GFB were selected to work with Spratley & Partners to help grow their capability as a leadership team. At Getfeedback we appreciate that in small- and medium-sized businesses client facing time is paramount and meeting tight deadlines is the norm. Our approach is to be bespoke to the needs of the leadership team and time flexible to the work load of the practice. Robert Kennedy, Director at Spratley & Partners confirms, “We were keen that everyone was involved as a collective and GFB were very flexible with us and changed workshops to suit our hectic diaries.” Avoiding busy times and moving face-to-face meetings and skill development sessions at the last minute is all part of this approach. At GFB we appreciate that personal development has a double cost as it is not client chargeable time.

Bespoke approach

As part of the initial relationship building process, GFB sought to understand the needs of the Leadership Team at Spratley & Partners as well as the vision of the practice. We then worked individually with each member of the leadership team helping them to understand how their personality and motivational preferences impacts on their leadership style. Taking time to reflect on individual strengths and develop new skills to bridge any gaps in the skillset, helped cement leadership confidence.

“A bespoke approach was key for us as we wanted to strengthen our capability as a management team as well as individually”, explains Robert Kennedy.

High-performing leadership team

A leadership team needs to work together in a collaborative way. Sharing individual strengths and preferences as a group highlights where the team has great strength and how they can leverage off each other but also highlights where there may be gaps. GFB specialise in facilitating these powerful conversations and in growing team awareness and respect for difference and its relevance to successful team work. The team at Spratley & Partners know each other well and the team session helped to formalise this knowledge, adding value by forming strategy, creativity and action, as well as engaging the practice as a whole to set the team’s vision.

Leadership skill formal learning

GFB designed three bespoke Leadership Skill Development sessions based on the needs of the leadership team: Build Confidence and Celebrate Success, Becoming an Inspiring Communicator and Effective Delegation and Coaching. Half-day sessions were also offered to employees outside of the leadership team if they felt it would be beneficial to attend. The timing of the sessions was extremely flexible to make life as easy as possible for the busy practice.

Motivating the whole organisation

The Leadership Team held a ‘whole practice’ session to showcase the key areas they were leading on. The session engaged the whole organisation in the strategic direction of Spratley & Partners, building ownership and motivation within the practice.

Robert Kennedy commented after the sessions, “Our coaching as a team is good. We have more self-awareness and are making more time to lead and coach.”

The whole team has grown in their leadership confidence and are taking a proactive approach in how they drive business strategy together. The business continues to grow at a fast pace, along with the number of people working for them. Their ability to maintain employee engagement and inspire and empower others to take ownership of the vision is core to their success.

[i] Ref: BIS RESEARCH PAPER NUMBER 211 Leadership and Management Skills in SMEs: Measuring Associations with Management Practices and Performance Non-technical report MARCH 2015 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Royal Caribbean: engaging with its people to create a very different cruise experience for its guests | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Royal Caribbean International appointed GFB to conduct an engagement survey to identify what employees were - and were not - happy with. GFB produced a survey to achieve this and employees were invited to complete it online over just a three day period.

Royal Caribbean International provides its guests with a cruise to remember pushing the boundaries of onboard facilities including rock-climbing, surf simulators and ice-rinks and encouraging holidaymakers to experience some of the more unexpected excursions it offers such as glacier-trekking or cave-tubing.

But the ships and the destinations alone do not achieve its aim to be a very different type of cruise line. Royal Caribbean International recognises that, when it comes to creating a unique holiday experience, it is the delivery of the service by friendly, engaging and committed people that makes the company what it is today and so looks to recruit - and retain - people that 'go the extra mile' for the guests.

Getting to know what is important to the team

As part of its initiative to both listen to and understand what is important to the people that work for Royal Caribbean Cruise Liners, a division of Royal Caribbean International, it has embarked on a programme to survey its people on a regular basis. The survey has become part of the annual planning cycle and is seen by the staff as a valued opportunity to feed their thoughts and ideas into the management team.

“The engagement surveys go well beyond simply taking a health check of how our teams understand what we as a company want to achieve - and their role in delivering this, explains Helen Quinlivan, International Training Manager at Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

“They know that they have a significant role in shaping the direction of the development planning - equipping them with the skills, the environment and the necessary tools to achieve our plans - and the survey is the vehicle that gives them the opportunity to influence this.“

Getting started

Initially, the engagement survey was used to encourage employees to feel involved and positive about changes that were taking place at the time of a new organisational structure being created, and also to provide a benchmark against which to measure as new initiatives were introduced.

An engaged workforce

Although most surveys only attract a 60 percent response rate, 85 per cent of invited Royal Caribbean International employees took part in the initial survey, demonstrating a very strong commitment to, and interest in, having their views heard in this way. Indeed, this is something that has been built on over the past four years of surveys.

Surveying online

Running the survey online has proved to be easy to implement. Royal Caribbean International works with GFB to design the survey each time, choosing the areas on which to focus based on the current situation. The survey is then constructed and web enabled for the Royal Caribbean International employees to access and complete online. At any time, the team in Royal Caribbean can view the completion status of the survey.

The results- and using the feedback

The survey is carried out anonymously across the entire workforce and the results analysed both at a regional and a country unit level.

“This is important to us. We want to understand our people across the entire organisation and to ensure that they are fully supportive and engaged with our vision and where we see the organisation heading. But we also know that there are very different issues facing our people in different locations and so we reflect this in the reporting of the results. For example in the UK where we have a relatively large workforce, the issues raised may be around the opportunities for career development and movement within the organisation. However, in smaller teams the emphasis may be more on specific personal development.”, says Quinlivan.

Quinlivan then invests in a communications programme to ensure all employees understand the results of the survey and what will happen next. This is typically done by cascading the information through the management team via email, presentation and conversation. As part of the people-issue planning, smaller teams are then encouraged to feed into the ideas and planning stages of how to address the issues raised by the survey.

Trends over the years

For the past four years, Royal Caribbean International has surveyed its people annually.

“It's interesting to see the changes in the types of topics fed back to us and I believe this reflects the investment we have made in both putting in place new initiatives or refining those we already have,“ Quinlivan comments.

“When we first started to survey our employees, people suggested that we should look at introducing additional healthcare benefits, linking pay to performance, reviewing annual holiday entitlement and turning a UK office into a common room for people to use during breaks. We worked on these and, now that these practical, hygiene-factor areas have been reviewed, comments now seem to focus on 'softer' areas such as increasing the opportunities to grow within the organisation and the style of management. In a way, the issues that we find highlighted by the more recent surveys are more sophisticated in nature.”

“One of the most positive things to emerge from the survey is the reporting of the pride our employees have in what we do and sell to our guests, as well as simply pride in working for the company. We find there is a great sense of commitment to the organisation, with people consistently 'going the extra mile'. Of course, while all organisations would like to tap into the discretionary effort that employees can offer, we are very aware that this must not be exploited and whilst we have a committed and engaged team, we work hard to promote a balanced working environment,” concludes Quinlivan

Looking forward

For the coming year the focus is on investing in staff training and motivation.

“It's an exciting time for us: despite the current economic downturn that is impacting many areas of business, we are experiencing some very positive trends in cruise bookings. On top of this, we are due to launch what will be the biggest ship in the world later this year,” says Quinlivan.

Royal Caribbean is proud of its people that deliver a very different cruise experience and is proud of its commitment to the engagement survey.

“We know that traditionally busy managers spend most of their time focusing on those people who are at either end of the performance spectrum, but we need to make sure that the remaining, and of course this is the majority, employees are listened to and fully on board with our strategy and their role.”

Recruiting the best modern minds in law | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMT

In the challenging 21st century economic climate, the pressure to make the right hire decision, first time, has never been greater. So how do you ensure that only the most suitable and able candidates are selected?

Our client is a Top 10 Global Law Firm with more than 70 offices operating in over 40 countries. The firm's people-focused approach attracts some of the world's biggest organisations and the world's best talent, with a total of 5500 lawyers operating globally.

In the challenging 21st century economic climate, the pressure to make the right hire decision, first time, has never been greater. With a clear relationship between graduate schemes and organisational performance, the role of the graduate recruiter is increasingly viewed as business-critical. So how do you ensure that only the most suitable and able candidates are selected?

With over 2000 graduate application across 12 programmes, our client was facing just such a challenge, with a need to streamline their graduate recruitment process. The Graduate Recruitment team needed a test to be used as a sifting tool to identify the very best candidates to take through the recruitment process. It was vital that any assessment be seamlessly integrated into the firm's existing applicant-tracking system with AllHires. The team set about evaluating a wide range of online psychometric assessments and test providers who could manage the integration from a technical perspective.

The team selected to partner with GFB and Abigail Clayton, Client Director was brought in to help the team to analyse suitable assessments. “After evaluating the wide range of solutions available, we recommended the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal due to the high calibre of candidates required and the importance of critical thinking for the graduate role. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was selected for its validity, reliability and reputation”, explains Abigail.

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a higher-level ability test which assesses an individual's capability for critical thinking-a discrete skill distinct from, but not independent of, overall intellectual intelligence. It is generally acknowledged to be one of the toughest tests of critical thinking available with strong links to performance in role.

“The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a very helpful sifting tool to narrow down candidates who we want to bring forward on to the next recruitment stage. It really does test those skills which lawyers need - making sure people can think critically, make the correct judgements and assumptions, and evaluate arguments in a neutral way. It is one of the most popular tests used by law firms”, explains our client's Interim Head of Graduate Recruitment & Development.

Following their selection, GFB completed the technical integration with AllHires and created a client branded Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. “GFB's online assessment platform easily integrates into applicant tracking systems and is already linked to many of the market leading solutions”, explains Steve Bicknell, Chief Technology Officer at GFB.

“AllHires has lots of previous positive experience integrating with GFB and this time was no exception. This was an existing AllHires client who wanted to switch test provider in 2013. The responsiveness of the team at GFB and the ease of integration with our applicant tracking system means that we have no problems recommending them when asked. The turnaround time for integration was 10 days and due to the smooth and efficient process we both have in place we were able to meet the deadline. This integration has been running smoothly for four years now”, says Kate Stevenson, Operations Manager, AllHires.

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was launched as part of the graduate recruitment online application process in 2013 and has been used successfully ever since, with the firm choosing to continue to use the test following their merger in 2017. The introduction of the assessment has allowed the firm to streamline their recruitment process, focusing recruitment on high calibre candidates and enabling the company to recruit the best modern minds in law.

“I have confidence that GFB are delivering an assessment tool for us which not only provides a good candidate experience but also gives us the crucial information we need to assess candidates at the early stage, in order to work out whether we are confident that they will successfully progress through the graduate recruitment process. GFB are always quick to respond and deliver on the service that they agree to provide”, confirms the Interim Head of Graduate Recruitment & Development.

Recruiting the best minds in economics | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Sat, 30 May 2026 10:15:00 GMT

GFB support Oxera, one Europe's leading independent economics consultancies to recruit the best economics graduates

Oxera is one of Europe’s leading independent economics consultancies. For nearly 35 years, it has been advising companies, policymakers, regulators and lawyers on the insight that economics can bring in relation to competition, regulation, damages quantification, performance assessment and state aid across a wide range of sectors. With offices in Berlin, Brussels, London and Oxford, Oxera has a growing workforce of approximately 140 staff.

The Challenge

In today's challenging economic climate, the pressure to make the right hire decision, first time, has never been greater. With rising applicant numbers and a clear relationship between graduate schemes and organisational performance, the role of the graduate recruiter is increasingly viewed as business-critical. So how do you ensure that only the most suitable and able candidates are selected?

The Oxera graduate recruitment team faced just such a challenge. “With over 600 applications a year, almost all from very highly qualified candidates, it was clear we needed a more robust approach to selecting the best of them. We need people who can analyse a situation, generate optimal solutions to a problem and get feedback from all the people involved in the situation.”

The Approach

“We wanted a test that was relevant and that allowed us to identify the very best candidates and take them through the recruitment process”, says Maria Farias, HR Assistant at Oxera. It was also vital that any assessment be seamlessly integrated into Oxera’s existing applicant-tracking system, ‘AllHires’. On the recommendation of Deborah Stump, Partner and Director of HR at Oxera, GFB was brought in to partner with Oxera to review and recommend a suitable assessment approach, and to integrate this with the existing applicant-tracking system from a technical perspective.

Abigail Clayton, Client Director at GFB, identified the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal from a wide range of solutions available, and recommended this owing to the high calibre of candidates required and the importance of critical thinking for the graduate role.

This higher-level ability test assesses an individual's capability for critical thinking—a discrete skill distinct from, but not independent of, overall intellectual intelligence. Designed for remote assessment, GFB’s ability tests have built-in safeguards to ensure that the results can be trusted and verified.

Abigail worked closely with the senior team at Oxera to reassure them that the introduction of the ability assessment would not prevent the best candidates from continuing through the process.

The Solution

GFB began work on the technical integration and created an Oxera-branded test. The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was then launched as part of the graduate recruitment process and has been used successfully since.

“The GFB technical integration with AllHires is seamless. The system works very well for us – it’s easy to administer and allows us to pull and analyse relevant data”, says Maria Farias.

“GFB’s online assessment platform easily integrates into applicant tracking systems and is already linked to many of the market leading solutions”, explains Steve Bicknell, Chief Technology Officer at GFB.

The Results

Detailed reviews of data are conducted after each recruitment phase. The introduction of the test allowed Oxera to focus the recruitment on candidates who are of the right calibre, making the recruitment process quicker and smoother for Oxera and the candidates.

“For us it’s important to focus on quality, high-calibre candidates. It’s about trying to identify from the large number of applications received every year the high performers who will add value to the business”, says Maria Farias.

Oxera is confident that by introducing a more rigorous and informative recruitment process, it is getting the very best people to join it—people who are right for Oxera.

About the Watson Glaser:

The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal has been designed to measure some of these important abilities and since its inception has become a highly respected and widely used instrument in the selection and development of graduates, managers and leaders. It is generally acknowledged to be one of the toughest tests of critical thinking available with strong links to performance in role.

The Watson Glaser is drawn from a bank of questions, ensuring that no single form of the test can be copied and reproduced. This item bank approach ensures that candidates can be assessed remotely and unsupervised.

Overall results are detailed against a number of norm group comparisons and score results are further broken down into 3 key areas:

Recognising Assumptions
Evaluating Arguments
Drawing Conclusions

RS Group: Amazing Leaders 360 | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Wed, 20 May 2026 09:30:00 GMT

RS Group used GFB's bespoke 360 solution to help develop amazing leaders.

BACKGROUND

RS Group are a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers. They support customers with a broad range of industrial and electronic products and solutions essential for the successful operation of their businesses. With over 6600 employees worldwide, RS Group offer an exciting and challenging working environment where everyone has the opportunity to deliver their best and reach their full potential.

Amazing Leaders

In May 2020, with the COVID 19 pandemic and resultant global uncertainty and complexity placing unprecedented demands on its leaders, RS Group embarked on a journey to define and embed an RS Group approach to leadership.

Keen to develop a powerful framework tailored to their individual organisation, Rowan Fyfe, Group Head of Leadership and Talent at RS Group started off by talking to a range of senior managers from across the business to ask them what was most critical about how they were leading their people. Consistent insights emerged from these initial conversations, demonstrating a clear opportunity to unite the leaders by providing them with the focus and clarity of a common behavioural framework. Working with the Senior Management Team and their leadership teams these initial themes were developed into the Amazing Leaders framework, which the senior management team gave their commitment to embed as a means of driving real cultural change to meet their Destination 2025 strategy.

Amazing Leaders was launched to the wider business in January 2021, with two Leadership Live events hosted by the CEO and CFO. This was followed by business facilitators leading “How do I Become an Amazing Leader” conversations throughout Spring 2021. With over 150 small group conversations in 10 different languages, the conversations were designed to create a safe space for leaders to really start exploring how they would become an Amazing Leader.

SOLUTION

Amazing Leaders 360-degree feedback

Following the development of the Amazing Leaders framework, the organisation was keen to explore where their leaders were against the new framework and the type of targeted leadership development that would be most valuable to them. In order to do this, the Leadership and Talent team decided to trial a range of pilot development interventions to determine the most effective development activities for their leaders, including action learning sets and individual coaching programmes.

Rowan Fyfe clarifies, “It is my belief that development is most valuable when people have a level of self-insight so to me, creating that self-insight had to be the first stage of each of the pilot development activities. We decided to use a 360-degree feedback tool to kick start the process to gain this self-insight, to find out where people were against the new framework, their perception of themselves, their line manager and their colleagues and ultimately the development needs most important for them to focus on”.

RS Group have worked with GFB since 2007; with an already established relationship, Rowan Fyfe turned to us to create a bespoke 360 based on the new Amazing Leaders framework. Rowan comments “The turnaround time for GFB to develop the bespoke 360 was extremely quick – approximately 3 weeks from start to finish. Katherine Reid, GFB Consultant, developed a draft of the questionnaire using our statements and we then finalised this together. It was a very straightforward and flexible process”.

GFB created a branded 360 questionnaire, together with a customised report, to accurately reflect RS Group look and feel, using their own language. Elise Cope, Partner Director at GFB explains “Having a bespoke 360 feedback survey designed for your organisation, using your framework, questions and language really helps to engage your people in the process, giving the best possible outcome for their development.”

The 360 was launched to 30-strong pilot population in January 2021, using GFB’s fully managed 360-degree feedback service. “The GFB fully managed 360-administration service was seamless. GFB provided us with regular status updates and chased for feedback completion according to the pre-agreed schedule” states Rowan. “The GFB speed of response, together with the flexibility of customisation and the managed service option was ideal for us. Yes, the 360 was outsourced – but it felt like our own and that was exactly what we needed. We have received excellent feedback on the 360 with a lot of participants commenting that it has given them a whole new level of insight in its own right”.

Leadership Skills Coaching

Insights gained during the 360-degree feedback process were shared with Rowan Fyfe to help her prioritise development needs across the pilot group. This allowed Rowan to align development activities to people with a similar need and facilitate targeted development. GFB Lead Consultant, Miriam Luke, worked with one of the pilot groups by providing a 90-minute 360-degree feedback session for each participant, followed by 90-minute leadership skills coaching session 3-6 weeks later to embed the skills. Feedback confirms that the participants found the 360 feedback and follow up leadership skills coaching session extremely valuable, giving them time to digest and really make sense of their 360 feedback before coming back a few weeks later for an action planning coaching session. Miriam Luke also provided RS Group with a summary report of the common themes across the pilot group – strengths and development areas – as well as details of the leadership models that were shared during the coaching sessions.

OUTCOME

Results

RS Group are currently collating feedback around the various pilot development initiatives to determine which of the activities were most valuable to their leaders. They are also gaining further insight into where, when and for whom 360-degree feedback adds most value, as they are keen to be really clear about how to best to use the tool going forwards.

What was the value of having 360-degree feedback at the start of the process? Rowan Fyfe is clear, “There is no doubt that the 360-degree feedback made the learning interventions more impactful. The participants were more informed about their needs, clearer about what they needed to focus on and had already started self-reflecting on where they were at against the Amazing Leaders framework. They were primed and in the right frame of mind to be learning and challenging themselves –it provided a really powerful kick start to their learning journey”.

Further information

If you think 360-degree feedback could help kick start your organisation’s learning journey, please contact Elise Cope, Partnership Manager, GFB Group at elise.cope@gfbgroup.com or call: 07899 895154.

Powering Engagement: GFB partners with Nadara | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Tue, 12 May 2026 08:15:00 GMT

GFB is proud to partner with Nadara, one of Europe’s largest renewable energy independent power producers, to design and deliver a company-wide engagement survey.

About

Owning and operating around 200 renewable energy sites across Europe and the US, Nadara produce electricity from wind, solar, waste-to-energy, and biomass. Every day, Nadara harnesses the power of nature for good.

GFB’s work with Nadara demonstrates our commitment to the renewable energy sector, where we have surveyed and supported a number of clients across the industry. Abigail Clayton, Client Director at GFB confirms, “It’s fantastic to be able to support the renewable energy sector in line with our ESG ambitions to work sustainably and ethically.”

The Challenge

GFB has been working with Nadara since 2024, when they first embarked on a programme to survey their 1,000+ employees. The engagement survey has since become an integral part of their organisational culture, and in 2025, GFB was delighted to partner again to re-run the survey.

The Approach

GFB began by really getting to know Nadada’s business so that we could create a bespoke survey that covered the right issues in the right way. This approach ensured questions were aligned with Nadara’s values, goals and focus areas, whilst also leveraging our extensive question bank to ensure every question was validated and meaningful.

Once finalised, the survey was launched via GFB’s secure, user-friendly online platform - critical for Nadara’s widespread, international workforce. This approach also guaranteed anonymity, thus boosting participation.

The Results

Through GFB’s automated reminders and targeted departmental updates, Nadara achieved an 85% response rate - well above the average of 50-70%. James Shimmen, Operations Director at GFB, adds, “This level of completion shows how much Nadara’s employees value the engagement survey process.”

GFB delivered customised reports in multiple formats across 40 demographic areas, using advanced correlation and regression analysis to highlight what matters most to Nadara’s employees. Presented in clear reports, these insights enable Nadara to make data-driven decisions that strengthen engagement and performance.

Luisa Della Monica, Head of People Development & Talent Acquisition at Nadara concludes, “GFB have been supporting clients with employee engagement surveys for over 20 years and their level of expertise is invaluable. James Shimmen and the GFB team were highly knowledgeable throughout and their ongoing support and responsiveness ensured the survey process ran seamlessly”.

To find out more about how GFB can help with your Employee Engagement Survey, contact the team via email: info@gfbgroup.com or call: 0333 090 2580

AI isn't replacing Critical Thinking, its making it more important than ever.

Getfeedback — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

There’s a growing assumption that artificial intelligence is starting to think for us. That as AI becomes faster, more fluent, and more capable, human reasoning becomes less central.

In practice, the opposite is happening.

As AI becomes embedded in everyday work, critical thinking is not being replaced – it is becoming the deciding factor between good and poor outcomes.

AI can generate answers at scale. What it cannot do is determine whether those answers are sound, appropriate, or meaningful in context. That responsibility remains firmly human.

AI Output Is Only as Good as the Thinking Behind It

AI systems do not operate independently. They respond to human input.

The quality of any AI output depends on how well a person:

frames the problem
defines what they actually want to know
provides relevant context
constrains assumptions and ambiguity

This means AI doesn’t remove the need for thinking – it exposes the quality of it. Vague questions produce generic answers. Poorly framed prompts embed flawed assumptions. Unclear objectives lead to confident-sounding but unhelpful outputs.

The advantage goes not to those who simply use AI, but to those who can think clearly about what they are asking it to do.

Prompting Is Applied Critical Thinking

There is a tendency to view prompt writing as a technical skill. In reality, it is a practical expression of reasoning.

Effective prompts require the ability to:

distinguish signal from noise
identify missing or unreliable information
structure requests logically
anticipate where AI might over-generalise

These are not new capabilities. They are the same cognitive skills that underpin sound problem-solving and decision-making. AI amplifies these skills. It does not substitute for them.

Why Evaluating AI Output Matters Just as Much

The second major risk with AI is not poor usage – it’s over-trust. AI outputs are often fluent, coherent, and confidently expressed. But confidence is not accuracy, and fluency is not judgment.

AI can:

draw conclusions from weak evidence
miss logical inconsistencies
reproduce hidden bias
present plausible but incorrect explanations

This makes critical evaluation essential. Human users must still be able to:

judge whether conclusions follow from evidence
recognise when assumptions are being made
identify gaps or weaknesses in reasoning
decide whether outputs are fit for purpose

In complex or high-stakes decisions, failing to challenge AI output can be more dangerous than not using AI at all.

The Human Skills AI Relies On

What AI actually requires from humans is not less thinking, but better thinking.

Effective AI use depends on people who can:

question information rather than accept it at face value
reason carefully with incomplete or ambiguous data
weigh competing viewpoints
apply judgment, ethics, and contextual understanding

These skills sit at the core of critical thinking – the ability to reason well, not just process information.

They are also skills that have long been associated with decision quality, leadership effectiveness, and professional judgment, well before AI entered the picture.

Where Assessment Still Matters

As AI becomes normalised, organisations face an important question: how confident are we in the thinking skills of the people using it?

While AI tools can support analysis, the quality of outcomes still depends on the reasoning ability of the humans overseeing them.

Established critical thinking assessments, such as Watson-Glaser, focus on abilities like evaluating arguments, recognising assumptions, drawing logical conclusions, and interpreting evidence. These capabilities are increasingly relevant as AI tools become more influential in everyday decision-making.

In this sense, AI doesn’t reduce the relevance of such skills – it brings their importance into sharper focus.

Final Thought

AI is an accelerant. It speeds up thinking processes, but it does not improve them by default.

The organisations and individuals who gain the most from AI will not be those who rely on it unquestioningly, but those who combine it with strong reasoning, disciplined judgment, and a willingness to challenge outputs before acting on them.

In an AI-enabled world, critical thinking isn’t a "soft skill". It’s the control system.

If you’d like to explore how assessing critical thinking can strengthen decision-making in an AI-enabled world, we’d be happy to talk.

Partnering for Success: Bespoke 360° Feedback in a Global Financial Context | GFB (Getfeedback)

Getfeedback — Wed, 06 May 2026 09:45:00 GMT

In 2024 a large, international financial services organisation approached us with a need for a tailored 360° feedback solution to support leadership development across a key business function. With thousands of employees and a complex organisational structure, the client required a tool that was both scalable and highly customisable to reflect their internal competency framework and cultural language.

Challenge

The organisation wanted to:

Implement a bespoke 360° feedback tool aligned with their internal leadership behaviours and the specific needs of their business function.
Ensure the tool was secure, user-friendly, and accessible globally.
Deliver the solution quickly and efficiently, with minimal disruption to internal teams.
Provide clear, actionable insights to support individual development conversations.

Solution

Working in partnership with the client, GFB designed and delivered a fully customised 360° feedback tool using the technology and consultancy support provided by us.

Key steps in delivery:

Design and Customisation

We collaborated closely with stakeholders to map their internal leadership behaviours to a feedback model. This included customising rating scales, question sets, and report outputs to reflect the organisation’s language and values. Furthermore, the survey, communications and report were all branded to make it a fully integrated participant experience.

Platform Configuration and Upload

Using GFB’s secure online platform, we uploaded the bespoke tool and configured it for deployment across multiple regions. The system allowed for flexible nomination processes, automated reminders and real-time tracking.

Implementation and Support

The tool was launched online with full support from GFB’s technical and client services teams. Participants and administrators received clear guidance, and any queries were resolved swiftly to ensure a smooth experience.

Delivery and Reporting

Feedback reports were generated automatically and delivered securely to participants and coaches. These reports provided rich insights into strengths, development areas, and behavioural patterns, enabling meaningful development conversations.

Impact

The bespoke 360° feedback tool was successfully rolled out to hundreds of leaders across the organisation. Key outcomes included:

High engagement and completion rates across all regions.
Positive feedback from participants on the clarity and relevance of the tool.
Enhanced leadership development conversations, supported by data-driven insights.
Scalable model now being considered for wider use across other business units.
Group data was reviewed alongside internal and external benchmarks to identify training needs and areas of strength for the group.

The business and individual benefits gained from the first implementation of this project in 2024 ensured the demand and drivers for running the process again in 2025, with optional take-up of the process increasing by over 30%. Plans are in place for 2026 building on the learning from previous years with the option of utilising GFB’s year on year comparison options in individual and group reporting.

Feedback

We received some great feedback from individuals and their raters, particularly around how seamless the process was and the user-friendliness of the system.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated how a tailored approach to 360° feedback - supported by robust technology and expert consultancy - can deliver real value for large organisations. By aligning the tool with internal behaviours and providing a seamless user experience, we helped the client embed feedback into their leadership culture in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Don’t just listen to us, other client projects have also received similar feedback:

“We needed a lightweight, easy to use technology platform to support our performance management and 360 degree process. The system is intuitive to use, extremely reliable and robust and is an excellent tool for both individuals and managers. It has transformed our performance management process taking the responsibility from the managers and placing it firmly in the hands of the individual. This suits our culture of self-managed performance and means that managers can now focus on active management not just chasing performance review forms.”

Director of Learning and Development, Large International Automotive manufacturer

“We rely on GFB for all of our 360 and employee feedback surveying. They have managed these services for 8000 employees in thirteen languages for three years. Their service is excellent, they have proactively developed both services to meet the changing needs of our organisation over the three years that they have worked with us. Their service team is always one step ahead of us providing us with clear guidance about how to make the service more cost effective, valued added and state of the art.”

HR Director, Leading Healthcare Provider

"The GFB 360 degree feedback tool is straightforward to use, with easily tailored messages and the report provides a good basis for conversations. The customer service from the GFB team has been second to none – thank you."

Training & Development Coordinator, Professional Science Association

“GFB’s 360 survey provides individuals with a user-friendly tool that aids development. The relationship between the behaviours is clear and you can easily identify the behaviours to do more of and those to improve upon”

Head of HR, Civil Engineering and Energy Production Company

For more information on GFB's 360° feedback solutions contact Abigail Clayton, Client Director, via email: abigail.clayton@gfbgroup.com or call: 07738319200.