Maintaining performance through feedback
Look what I did! What do you think? Do you like it? Did I do it right? How can I make it better?
The psychological need for feedback (response to an action) is a fundamental need, and its fulfillment contributes to our development. We seek appreciation, advice and support in all our relationships, at all stages of our life, and our professional life is no exception, on the contrary! The word "feedback" is probably the most used word in a company and for good reason, because the balance within an organization is ensured by good communication between team members. Feedback is mandatory if we want to improve communication and increase performance. The feedback culture is part of an effective organizational culture and a desideratum of the management, which is interested both in the individual development of employees and in the development of the company.
Why is feedback so important ?
Various studies show the huge impact feedback has on the learning process and long-term performance. Feedback helps us improve our performance and offer the opportunity to rectify certain aspects in real time. It also contributes to maintain a high level of transparency and coherence in communication. It is very important that people know exactly what they did well and what they didn’t, rather than spending their energy imaginng how it should have been done. They need to feel appreciated for their actions, receive validation for a well done job, feel valued, or have their weaknesses pointed out so they can rethink and reshape their actions. Undoubtedly, feedback helps to create a harmonious work environment, improves the quality of relationships between team members, validates the benefits brought by the employees to the company and maintains their commitment to the company's development process.
How to provide effective feedback?
The efficiency of feedback reaches its maximum when we know to whom, how and when to give it.
The one who gives feedback must pay attention to the personality of the feedback recipient, the way he/she interacts with other colleagues, how he/she reacts in critical situations, how open he/she is to change and how sensitive he/she is. The psychological factor is crucial and makes all the difference between assessment and appreciation, between critique and criticism.
The way in which feedback is formulated affects its efficiency. Therefore, communication must be to the point, clear and honest. Team leaders need to make sure employees have understood the feedback correctly and encourage them to speak up if they have a different opinion.
The timing also plays an important role. If the response is given closer to the time of the action, the efficiency of the feedback increases and valuable time can be gained to implement or avoid certain errors that occurred in the chain as a result of the original action.
A good manager uses communication tools to foster a sense of appreciation, accomplishment, and performance among his employees. Likewise, he can use feedback to mitigate unproductive scenarios. To monitor the effectiveness of feedback, we need to oversee the method in which the suggestions offered are implemented. If we notice an improvement in communication that also translates into engagement and performance, then we can conclude that the feedback was correct and efficient.
Types of feedback
There are different types of feedback, classified according to two criteria: Behavioral Orientation and Goal Orientation.
In terms of behavioral orientation, we can give three types of feedback: negative, which implies the inferiority of a person; positive (reinforcement), which aims to encourage a certain behavior to achieve optimal results; and corrective (constructive), which uses examples and aims to minimize the faulty behavior and its consequences.
Goal orientation or actions can be achieved through other three types of feedback:
• Evaluative feedback, which assesses employees’ actions, not their behavior, what they are doing, not what they are. It is recommended that this feedback be kept impersonal. The best evaluative feedback is the positive feedback that does not affect the balance of the team.
• Prescriptive feedback, which is future-oriented and does not refer to past events. It provides direction on how things should be, rather than something the person has already done.
• Descriptive feedback, when used correctly, provides the best results. It involves describing the effects of an action taken by the employee and is supported by an outlined and concise statement that successfully combines the other two types (evaluative and prescriptive).
How to provide effective feedback to remote employees
Remote work, which can be performed from home or from another work location, is a reality to which many workers have adapted due to the new social context. This method of work has advantages and disadvantages that can affect both employees and employers.
The employer's main concern is to maintain a high level of productivity outside the workplace. On the other hand, most who work in this system say they are more productive, happier, and find the new work environment more comfortable and secure, but also that the isolation and lack of social interaction can ultimately affect productivity.
With that in mind, employees who work from home need to receive dynamic feedback and use all other available communication channels besides email - short messages, video calls, audio and video recordings. Video conferencing, where participants can see each other and observe their mimic and body language, can make a difference and strengthen the sense of togetherness and team spirit.
Feedback – DOs & DON’Ts
Whitin any organization, communication must be both horizontal (between colleagues at the same hierarchical level) and vertical (between superiors and subordinates) in both directions (top-down and bottom-up). Feedback is needed in all directions. An open dialogue in which feedback is used creates a safe and friendly working environment that has a positive impact on overall performance.
We must not forget that the way we address a subject determines the way that subject is perceived. Therefore, we must choose our language carefully, using civilized, easy to understand, and not offensive words. The content expressed through language must be relevant, because irrelevant details can be ignored when formulating feedback. The attitude has to be positive, encouraging, and never judgmental. Since the tone of voice dictates the music, it is recommended not to use a high, aggressive or patronizing tone.
Although recommendations often move toward positive feedback, we must distinguish between the positive manner of the expression and the content of the feedback, which can be positive or negative. A person who hears only positive opinions will not know how to proceed in order to develop, just as someone who hears only negative opinions will feel criticized and devalued and will tend to withdraw into himself. However, in both cases, whether we are evaluating a positive or a negative action, we need to be very careful about the way we give the evaluation. Therefore, we should not express negative feedback in the presence of others. Face-to-face conversations are best suited for such moments.
Hoping you have found valuable information in this article, we would like to end it on a funny and interesting note - the word "feedback" contains all the first five letters of the alphabet: a, b, c, d, e, and f. Perhaps this is a sign that feedback initiates communication.
