Executive Overview The performance feedback method known as 360-degree feedback has gained wide popularity in the corporate world to the point of being nearly universal among Fortune 500 companies. A 360-degree feedback program enables organizational members to receive feedback on their performance, usually anonymously, from all the major constituencies they service. Unlike the traditional approach to performance counseling, the 360-degree feedback concept does not rely solely on the supervisor as the source of information. Instead, it enlists superiors, peers, subordinates, suppliers, and customers in providing individuals with feedback on different aspects of their performance. Feedback recipients can also rate their own performance and compare it with feedback provided by others. Although the 360-degree method is widely used, its application is filled with paradoxes. While it delivers valuable feedback, the 360-degree concept has serious problems relating to privacy, validity, and effectiveness. This article identifies five paradoxes of 360-degree feedback programs and offers suggestions for managing them.
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Jai Ghorpade (2000) studied this question.