A Note on the 360 Assessment or Feedback

360 degree feedback system is an arrangement wherein an employee receives feedback from all roleset members around him, which includes his superiors, his immediate sub-ordinate, peers and the customers.

The purpose of the process is not to appraise performance but to prepare developmental plans for the individual concerned. Using the inputs gaps in competencies can be identified and relevant training initiatives may be charted for the employees concerned. The system works well when used at senior management levels because the cost to administer them is very high.

Commonly referred to as multi source feedback multi-rater feedback this arrangement varies from the traditional performance appraisal system as feedback is sought from all sources and not just the immediate supervisors.