The Institution for a Global Society (IGS), headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, is set to release its comprehensive analysis in the "GROW360+ Human Capital White Paper for FY2025" on June 23, 2026. This pivotal document will delve into the evaluation bias evident in 360-degree assessments, drawing from a substantial dataset of 7,418 individuals across 29 companies. In a pre-release, IGS highlighted alarming findings that show nearly 44% of evaluators exhibit scoring biases, skewing the reliability of human capital data.
Understanding the Evaluation Bias
The analysis of 12,346 evaluators revealed that approximately 23% are lenient in their scoring, while about 21% are overly strict. This means that roughly 44% display unusual scoring tendencies that could disproportionately favor or disadvantage certain individuals based on the evaluator's characteristics rather than the actual capabilities of the employees being assessed. Much like how some school teachers might grade leniently or harshly, the 360-degree evaluation process is also susceptible to similar biases.
The pressing concern is whether the scores reflect individual capabilities or simply vary dependent on who is conducting the evaluation. This crucial question sheds light on the inadequacies present in conventional 360-degree evaluations.
To combat this issue, IGS leverages its patented evaluation bias correction technology (Patent No. 6589257) to statistically align scores while maintaining overall ranking. Employees affected by extreme evaluator biases will be brought closer to their actual capabilities in the report. Expect a detailed quantitative disclosure of this correction's effectiveness, along with insights into varying firms' evaluation environments in the upcoming white paper.
The Shift Toward Data-Driven HR Decisions
Human resources have traditionally been guided by intuition and experience. For example, decisions around management promotions or identifying employee strengths often rely on subjective assessment. However, with the advent of mandatory human capital information disclosure starting from FY2023, companies now shoulder the responsibility of transparently articulating where and how they invest in employee capabilities. Despite this shift, the quality of the underlying competency data is frequently called into question.
Since its inception in 2010, IGS has amassed a wealth of competency data through its GROW360+ platform, encompassing around 360 companies and nearly one million evaluations. This white paper seeks to provide empirical answers to the question of how competency data can transform HR decision-making.
Raising Key Questions in the White Paper
The white paper will explore significant questions based on the extensive dataset:
1. What specific strengths genuinely distinguish managers from general employees? Are these aligned with your firm’s criteria?
2. Is employees' self-assessment accurate? How much does it differ from perceived evaluations by colleagues?
3. Does your 360-degree evaluation measure actual competencies, or does it merely reflect evaluator biases?
4. What patterns emerge in employee development? Can we identify instances of stagnation utilizing data?
5. Are candidate lists for management positions data-driven, or do unconscious biases favor individuals similar to current managers?
The white paper's findings will address these inquiries comprehensively.
Key Features of the White Paper
- - A meticulous report analyzing feedback data from 29 companies, 7,418 participants, and over 2.76 million evaluation points.
- - Expert supervision by Professor Hiroshi Ono from Hitotsubashi Business School.
- - Insights and considerations targeted at CHROs, HR planners, talent development experts, and executives across various organizational departments.
- - Quantitative evidence of the patented evaluation bias correction technology’s impact.
Pre-Registration for the White Paper
The white paper is slated for release on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Interested parties can now pre-register to receive a download link on the publication date via the following registration form:
Pre-registration Form.
For more details about GROW360+, it is a platform that assesses individual capabilities based on temperament, competencies, and skills through self-assessment and peer evaluation methods. Since its launch in 2016, GROW360+ has accumulated a significant amount of evaluation data, establishing a support framework for talent development and human capital reporting. For further information, please visit
GROW360+ Services.
IGS aims to visualize and enhance non-cognitive skills crucial for societal growth, providing tools and services for individuals and organizations alike. The company, which went public on the Tokyo Growth Market at the end of 2021, champions a mission to realize a sustainable society without segregation through effective evaluation services.
Contact: For inquiries regarding the white paper and GROW360+, reach out to the HCM Solutions team at IGS:
[email protected]. For media inquiries, please contact the Brand Communications Office at
[email protected].