Case study #1
One important use of this tool in leadership development is for benchmarking against an established competency model. One Ayers client instituted a proprietary 360°, developed to complement its competency model, for use with a global base of 3,000 managers.  Ayers was called in to become one of six or seven firms that would perform the debriefings.  We counter-proposed that it would be beneficial to work with one firm to ensure consistency.  We guaranteed that all our coaches would be seasoned 360° debriefing facilitators and meet the strict Ayers criteria for executive coaches.  
  
The client was skeptical but provided two opportunities for demonstrating our abilities.  The first required having 30 coaches onsite at one location to debrief 60 managers during a single day.  The second involved debriefing 75 managers nationwide during the course of a week to prepare them for a leadership-development program.  We completed both assignments successfully and became the primary provider.  
  
As in the case of any volume situation, we support this initiative by writing a debriefing protocol that maps to the client’s 360° report to ensure consistency in how our coaches approach the assignment and what the debriefings cover.  The protocol typically includes a specific agenda, suggestions for how to debrief, the client’s goals and objectives, and the nature of the resulting action plan (if appropriate).  Our coaches receive training to ensure their familiarity with the protocol.

Case study #2 
The practice at another client, a major utility, is for participants in leadership-development programs at all levels to receive a minimum two-hour 360° debriefing with an executive coach.  Vice presidents, who participate in a one-day program, receive their feedback and debriefings in the morning, followed by training and individual development planning. Participants in the three-day program for mid-level managers receive their feedback at the outset of two days of training.  On the morning of the third day, our coaches conduct the debriefings and help the participants prepare for follow-up development discussions with their managers, held in the afternoon after participants and their managers have lunch together.  

In the two-week program for general managers, coaches and participants receive the feedback in advance and debriefings are held prior to the training.  After discussing how the participant is integrating the information into his or her self-perception, the coach provides guidance on how the participant should use the feedback to get the most benefit from the training.  In effect, the coaches help the participants tailor the training to meet their needs.