Much has been written about feedback. It is difficult to say anything new or interesting on this topic. But I will try to add my own nuances.
If you know me, you already know my weakness for language and words. So, once again, I have looked at what the concepts I am going to analyse mean.
Many companies are nowadays aware of the importance of feedback. The English word “feedback” was first used at the beginning of the last century in the electronics industry (https://www.etymonline.com/word/feedback), where feedback was crucial because the feedback signals from the system or its parts guarantee the stable operation of the system. The information returned is transmitted through a so-called feedback channel.
Feedback is essential for the self-regulatory processes of living systems, as well. Different types of feedback are abundant at all levels of the organization of these systems (from the molecular to populations and biocenoses). There is mutual stimulation (positive feedback) and inhibition (negative feedback).
I think this is an excellent description of the necessity and meaning of feedbacks.
Various scientific and empirical studies show the importance and impact of a feedback culture in organizations. It is likely that many managers today are aware of this and practice giving feedback in one way or another.
However, I would like to stress that feedback is only one side of the coin. The other side is coaching, because it is coaching, not feedback, that ensures the development of employees. Feedback is information and its communication about the current situation in the context of the desired situation.
In simple terms, this includes information about what is good and what is not; which expectations are being met and which are not; what has worked, what mistakes have been made, what positive or negative deviations have occurred etc. Feedback serves well to create a common understanding, a common vision, greater clarity; a common point of reference for follow-up. Feedback can be formal and objective (e.g., regular discussions on performance based on pre-agreed criteria) or informal and subjective. In my opinion, all these components are important. The biggest mistakes are made when only subjective feedback is given, because subjective preferences are usually not based on rationality. Subjective feedback often turns into either praise or criticism. Professional feedback is always based on clear and valid evaluation criteria, allowing both sides to assess the situation equally and reach constructive conclusions.
Metaphorically speaking, feedback is a kind of “dashboard” that informs and stimulates further analysis.
Correctly given feedback promotes mutual trust through mutual knowledge. The manager and the employee have a better understanding of each other’s expectations, preferences, reactions, and reasoning – which reduces the need for control and increases the employee’s focus and effectiveness.
Feedback can provide information about the fairness, accuracy, and appropriateness of work behavior. Feedback may be needed to instill a sense of competence, achievement, and control in employees. (Mamula, Nikolic, Peric, 2020)
However, feedback does not yet develop employees. Feedback allows the employee to make certain ‘corrections’.
But in many cases, employee performance requires a change in behavior and/or thinking, attitude, acquisition of new knowledge and skills – which are more complex learning processes. It is not enough to simply state the facts. It is a matter of finding new patterns of action and changing actions and behaviors. Just because I know something doesn’t work doesn’t mean I will know what to do differently.
This is where coaching comes into play, as it is a process of special conversations in which the employee can analyze what has led to success, what lessons have been learnt and what solutions can be applied to the present or the future. What can be learnt from less successful cases and mistakes. What new approaches and solutions can be applied; what needs to be turned into habitual processes, behavioral and thinking habits, etc. Coaching should be a process that goes hand in hand with the employee’s daily work. Regular coaching conversations are one of the most effective development tools.
A feedback culture is the organization’s support for feedback and coaching. (Mamula, Nikolic, Peric, 2020)
The coaching style of a leader has a positive impact on the motivation of employees, their knowledge of what to do and how to do it, their self-confidence, as well as their creativity, making the company more competitive in a changing marketplace, where new ideas and new ways of doing things are constantly needed.
Feedback + coaching is therefore one of the most effective ways to manage the company’s performance.
Here is one of the many experiences where a manager uses coaching:
“I started experimenting with coaching and running regular sessions with team members. And the result is that they are much more confident, and as a result our relationship is also much better and we have started to understand each other better without long explanations, and I can clearly see the benefits of frequent conversations and coaching sessions. For example, better understanding of each other, more trust, better relationships in general, respect, etc. Each session brings deeper thoughts and discussions, new perspectives and understanding. And not only for my colleagues, for me too.”
