Utilising 360-degree feedback in the public sector: A case study of the Korean central government

The 360-degree feedback involves all aspects of a group: managers, colleagues, subordinates, and customers. Recently, the Korean Civil Service Commission (CSC) supports the use of multiple raters as an effective method of assessing performance, both for developmental and appraisal needs. The 360-degree feedback was officially adopted for employee promotion in the Korean central government in 1998. However, there are direct costs in designing 360-degree feedback instruments and in training sessions for implementation, as well as human costs that include confusion and fear about 360-degree feedback. Like many organisational change efforts, cultures and habits are slow to change. Autocratic managers can be reluctant to change the rules in any fashion that could pose a threat to their positions of power.