It is definitely a matter of management attitude. Do they care what those who are doing the work think and do they want to retain people and encourage their growth. I would be most comfortable talking to or sending my opinion to someone above my direct supervisor. They are the ones who should know what I think and are in the best position to do something about it. I have participated in exercises like this, but they were just for show, it seemed management had no intention of doing anything with the feedback from the outset.

Whenever I see anything like this coming, I remember the history of the early days of Mao Tse Tung. He asked all the artists and writers to express their true feelings about their government, claiming a new spirit of openness. Unfortunately for them, some of them did.

I have also participated in 360 degree reviews. Having one of our more difficult internal customers say something positive about my work said more about me than just about any other benchmark could have. I also appreciated the opportunity to comment on some of the poor practices of my co-workers. Of course, you need a good manager who can sort out the vindictive stuff.