Hi Amith,
I am a student of HR. I hope I can be of help.
Let me start by telling a little bit about the history of 360 degrees. In the 1940s, the US Army used the concept of 360 degrees to improve the performance of their troops. This process involved gathering feedback from everyone the troop was involved with directly and indirectly, including superiors and subordinates. The implementation resulted in lots of improvements. In the 1990s, HR managers and OD experts learned about the concept and attempted to put it into practice. However, it was a challenging process due to extensive documentation, high time requirements, and the stress of the exercise slowly reducing the enthusiasm of those involved. By the year 2000, as the internet became popular, HR professionals began using the system again for appraisals and employee development. This was not always linked to remuneration based on my knowledge. There are also online software tools that facilitate the speedy use of this system. Once the first online 360-degree feedback tools emerged, it became possible to request feedback from raters worldwide via email, fully customize automated systems, and generate reports for recipients in minutes. There have also been tailor-made systems with features such as comparative reporting, aggregate reporting, and even support for local languages of the employees to facilitate the process.
You can find more information on this topic at
www.opm.gov/perform/wppdf/360asess.pdf. This is a must-read link that provides comprehensive information on the subject. It is copyrighted, so I have not directly uploaded it. Credit goes to opm.gov.
I have also uploaded another relevant Adobe file.
There are several cases and books you can refer to on this topic. Look into cases at Motorola, NIIT, Wipro, etc. They are quite informative. Also, read up on TV Rao. I hope I have been helpful.
Sam Amose
Student of HR
Alliance Business Academy
Bangalore