The acceptability of 360 degree appraisals: A customer-supplier relationship perspective

This article argues that "acceptability" is a key issue relevant to the success of 360 degree appraisal processes. They present conceptual arguments to show how a customer-supplier relationship (CSR) perspective provides a useful means of depicting possible 360 degree linkages, as well as discussing the types of raters and ratees for whom acceptance of the process is important. A categorization scheme then provides the primary factors relevant to acceptance of the process. These factors include: (1) organizational characteristics and (2) CSR characteristics and appraisal context. Comparisons are made between customers and suppliers in terms of their probable acceptance of 360 degree appraisals.¹