Reactions to 360 degree feedback: the role of trust and trust-related variables

One of the most significant changes within the workplace over the past decades has been the growing emphasis on the development of competencies rather than specific job skills. This change has resulted in an increased use of multiple-rater feedback systems such as 360° feedback, which is the focus of this article. The aim of this study is to provide insight into the factors that contribute to employees' perceived reactions to 360° feedback. In this study we focus specifically on a developmental use of the assessment instrument, arguing that trust mediates interpersonal variables, such as psychological safety, value diversity, and interdependence when we consider the outcome of a developmental assessment. Furthermore, conceptions of assessment and the transparency of the process of 360° feedback are expected to affect employees' reactions to assessment.Results reveal that both trust in the self and trust in the other as assessor act as mediator variables, and as such they are significant predictors of reactions to 360° feedback. Conceptions, transparency, and the interpersonal factors of psychological safety, value diversity, and interdependence in turn are predictors of trust in the self and the other.