Managing the GIFT of feedback; a tool for organisational transformation

Ask any athlete, without feedback there is no rationale for improvement. Knowledge of results is a spur that pushes top athletes to great achievement, if only to offer guidance on what needs to change in the future to stimulate better performance. Feedback is the precursor to improvement; it looks at past performance and generates coaching dialogues that determine future action focused initiatives.

Whether it be the individual, team or wider organisation, without feedback and knowledge of results, there can be no progression. Feedback is a communication tool that breathes life into an organisation; hence it should be viewed as one of the most cost effective GIFTS available to the business community. Delivered correctly it will keep employees on the “line of sight” to organisational success. However, it has been well documented that this free GIFT is frequently viewed as an awkward “present” for managers to deliver. Thus, the true value of feedback has always been and is still problematic.

Why should this be so? Traditionally many managers find the judgmental aspects of offering feedback, particularly the more negative version, to be a challenging dialogue and a process that they would rather avoid. They perceive the likely outcomes of what is meant to be a performance improvement opportunity, to be a defensive response from the recipient and a potential source of argument and conflict.

It is therefore essential that in offering feedback managers should avoid being harsh, over critical or offensive (such individuals do exist in the 21st century!). Rather than see their feedback as negative it should be viewed as constructive or developmental feedback. Clearly performance issues must be confronted and addressed swiftly but managers must remember that recipients should walk away from their feedback enlightened rather than demoralized. This can be done by keeping feedback objective and a critique of an observed behaviour rather than a personal attack on the individual. It is also a question of maintaining balance. A useful mantra for the new manager is to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative” i.e. the more you “catch your people being good” the more opportunities you can find to offer positive feedback which acts a huge motivator for most employees and builds solid relationships, which are the bedrock of management.

Feedback is an essential tool for learning and growth; it creates the generative dialogues that foster what the Japanese refer to as “kaizen” i.e. change for the better. How then can organisations appreciate, understand and apply this GIFT for maximum return. In practice this can be simple, just ensure that the underpinning philosophy of the feedback GIFT is applied in the correct manner.

The G factor: healthy organisations ensure that feedback goes both ways. It is not merely a “top down management tool” to ensure employees to follow certain procedures, it is far more than that. The healthy exchange of feedback between bosses and staff offers lines of communication that will create the honest and open candor that creates success in today’s business world. In simple terms if you want to give feedback, you must be prepared to accept it, no matter what your organisational level. This accounts for the recent rapid growth of 360 feedback mechanisms as an organisational health check.

The I factor: linked to the above is the notion that feedback should be initiated by anyone who sees the need. What does however become important is the way that feedback is delivered to be effective, it is one of the higher interpersonal skills. Feedback should be objectively offered to praise an individual’s behaviours or to generate a dialogue which seeks to improve or change a behaviour that does not align to productive outcomes. Objectivity is the key factor; any critique should challenge observed behaviour but not the person. In such a way feedback is owned by the giver; this is paramount, it is not second hand, initiated through gossip or third party interventions.

The F factor: feedback should be frequent. When did you last receive feedback? When did you last offer feedback? There are of course no firm guidelines but clearly it should be the regular part of a manager’s reflective agenda. A guideline might be at the end of a week to reflect on these two questions and act accordingly in the following week. It may be necessary to give a little more but equally seek a little more feedback.

The T factor: not only should feedback be frequent it should be timely. Offering feedback days after seeing the need has little or no impact. However, immediate feedback which is emotionally uncontrolled can be damaging and counterproductive to good working relationships. What is certain is the power of positive feedback over negative; the Losado ratio suggested a 3:1 ratio as a generalized guideline. Although this research was statistically challenged, catching your people being good is far more productive than catching them being bad! Remember accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative can have a huge positive impact on those around you. Creating positive environments builds self-esteem; people work better when they feel good about themselves; they handle problems more effectively, become more productive, think creatively and are less prone to stress.

Feedback costs nothing yet it is one of the most powerful performance improvement tools that we have at our disposal. Delivered well It is hugely motivational, delivered poorly it can destroy relationships and disengage people. The question is … How well do you deliver feedback?

AZTech courses offer tools and techniques to promote good practice, in The Complete Course on Management programme, we practice the skills of delivering feedback in a safe non-threatening environment. If feedback is important to you why not come along and join like minded professionals who seek to transform their practice. Good management and leadership is the product of “lifelong” learning.

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