There's a new film out that looks great - Horrible Bosses - where one boss in particular seems to thoroughly enjoy tormenting his employees!
The writer of the article explains how, when he's running a training course for managers, he sometimes has to ..."tell them frankly how they come across to their employees. It can be a real turning point: I've seen aggressive bosses, confronted by this information, decide to change their ways completely".
360 Degree Feedback can be a critical tool for helping managers who are unaware of how their behaviour is seen by their employees and their colleagues. 360 Degree Feedback gives them an opportunity to get some honest feedback, and to act on that feedback and make some changes in what they do.
The learning from 360 Degree Feedback can be substantially increased by providing a coach or mentor to a manager, who can help him/her understand the feedback and how they can use it to improve.