What are the potential pitfalls of 360 assessments?
360 assessments are a powerful tool, but can have several unintended negative effects. For instance, sometimes individuals try to manipulate the data by selecting participants whom they think will provide them with the most positive feedback. In other instances, individuals feel betrayed if leaders try to use numerical 360 assessment data in appraisals or for de-selection decisions (Note that individual numerical data is provided only to the assessed individual). In addition, 360 assessment requires time and resources to implement and can be used to avoid rather than promote dialogue. Finally, 360 assessment reports have all the advantages and disadvantages of numerical data (i.e., they provide a relative assessment about WHAT might be vulnerable, but do not offer information about WHY there is a problem).
