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Feedback culture in business life

There’s a topic that’s prone to misunderstanding at work: feedback. Often confused with criticism, feedback culture, when mismanaged, can create friction between employees and undermine motivation.

Common Misconceptions About Feedback

  • Feedback isn’t criticism: Good feedback both reinforces and develops. The purpose of feedback is to make an existing behavior repeatable or prevent it from happening.
  • Feedback should be emotionally charged: Emotions are immediate and vary from person to person. The most important difference between feedback and personal conflict is that it is based on specific observations and is given in a timely manner.
  • Only managers give feedback: In a good and genuine corporate structure, a feedback culture should be developed and supported both among peers and within the hierarchy.
  • Positive feedback is irrelevant: Focusing solely on errors and correcting them reduces motivation. Reinforcement ensures the behavior is repeated.
  • Feedback is a difficult conversation: Frequent, small amounts of feedback are more effective than giving it all at once.

The most common mistakes when giving feedback and suggestions for correcting them

Being general and creating ambiguity: The recipient of feedback doesn’t know what they’re receiving and what they need to reflect on and change. Be clear and specify exactly what you’re giving feedback about.

Giving feedback on the behavior, not the person: This triggers defensiveness in the recipient and damages the human relationship. Instead of using the you in your address, focus on the impact of the behavior on the process and proceed with your observations, not your emotions.

Missing the timing of feedback: If feedback is given immediately or shortly after the behavior occurs, it provides an opportunity to learn. Giving it too soon can be perceived as biased, and giving it too late can be perceived as resentful. Identify the appropriate time and environment for feedback; summarize the feedback in a concise and calm manner, and provide the right context.

Make giving feedback a habit: Make giving regular feedback a part of your work life. Because correcting problematic behaviors simply by giving feedback isn’t enough; Giving feedback isn’t enough to reinforce good behavior. Create a routine for providing short, regular feedback.

Giving advice instead of feedback: Giving advice is a somewhat patronizing approach and can hinder the recipient’s learning and turn the working relationship between people into a dependency. During feedback, it can be more beneficial to describe the path to a solution rather than directly presenting it.

Don’t generalize: Generalizations are far from reality and may be unfair depending on the situation. Instead, it’s more appropriate to use specific examples and concrete events as examples.

Take feedback seriously: Not taking the process seriously creates a disorganized image and can convey completely false messages. Take short notes to convey in your feedback routines, explain your intentions in simple terms, and define your desired goal.

Record and track feedback: The simplest way to track changes and the stage of change in the topic you’re giving feedback on is to record them; otherwise, you’ll forget what you requested to change after a while. Identify an action item to record, assign someone the responsibility for its implementation, set a timeframe for achieving the goal, and schedule the next meeting.

To summarize, when giving feedback:

  • Be specific with concrete examples rather than generalizations.
  • Focus on the person’s behavior rather than focusing on themselves.
  • Explain the impact of the mistake, not just the mistake itself.
  • Give feedback promptly, but don’t give it angrily.
  • Include positive feedback and areas for improvement within your feedback.
  • Offer solutions to the relevant issue and consider how you can work together to find a solution.
  • Begin by asking permission before giving feedback.

Other behaviors most often confused with giving feedback

  • Criticizing and blaming instead of giving feedback.
  • Making feedback the beginning of a disciplinary and punishment mechanism.
  • Turning feedback into a performance evaluation.
  • Mixing feedback with coaching and beginning to provide mentoring.
  • Making feedback a conversation where instructions are communicated.

Giving feedback should be constructive and focused on learning; blaming is judgmental.

If necessary, disciplinary and punishment processes can be implemented during feedback, but the purpose of feedback should be to guide the individual regarding their behavior, not to discipline them.

Performance evaluations are typically conducted once or twice a year, while feedback routines should be shorter and more limited in scope.

Coaching focuses more on asking questions and helping the individual find the answers to their questions, while feedback is about directly reporting their behavior. Similarly, mentoring offers long-term guidance, while feedback is more focused on the immediate future.

Telling someone what to do and what not to do on the job can also be done directly through the chain of command. Giving feedback involves explaining why someone’s behavior is good or bad.

Why do people receiving feedback become defensive or angry?

Being criticized affects people both psychologically and culturally, and can be seen as a threat to their ego and self-esteem, especially if the feedback is negative.

Having this belief in one’s competence and success damaged can lead them to perceive it as a personal attack. This perception can encourage them to reject the situation, even become defensive and engage in counterattacks. This can be resolved by targeting the individual’s behavior, not their own self.

People have been criticized, scolded, and even punished in various ways in their professional lives. Giving feedback can also be perceived as negative based on these learned cultural experiences, and even mentioning the issue can trigger a kind of alarm mechanism. In many cultures, pointing out mistakes is accompanied by shaming and condemnation, so feedback inevitably becomes perceived as an attack. This problem can be resolved by building trust.

Related to the previous topic, feedback may be coded as a threat, and the amygdala region of the brain activates to decide between three options:

  • Fight: Becoming aggressive.
  • Flight: Close the topic and become silent.
  • Freeze: Don’t react to the issue at all.

This can be resolved by gently introducing the topic, incorporating positive feedback into the feedback, speaking in a calm tone, and using responsive body language.

Feedback in today’s business world is often one-sided, and this is associated with a feeling of loss of control. Feeling out of control can lead to anger and encourage resistance.

Opening a dialogue and asking questions to understand the feedback recipient’s thoughts on the matter can resolve this issue. This way, the recipient will see that they are involved in the process and will feel less threatened, leading to a more conciliatory attitude.

One of the most significant reasons feedback can make people tense and aggressive is the location of the feedback. Feedback given in a crowded environment, without careful consideration, can embarrass people, leading to a need for self-defense. Negative feedback, especially given in front of a team, directly creates embarrassment and a cycle of aggression. This can be resolved by providing feedback at a personalized time and place.

How to give effective feedback?

The foundation of giving effective feedback rests on three pillars. These are:

  • Why am I giving feedback?
  • How am I giving feedback?
  • When am I giving feedback?

The first of these relates to the intention of giving feedback; the second to the focus; and the third to determining the right environment and timing.

Among the most frequently used models for giving feedback is the SBI Model, meaning Situation – Behavior – Impact. The approach discusses where and how the event in question occurred, what was observed, and explains the consequences of this behavior.

The “I” message method is another common method. In this method, the “I” message begins with the word “I,” adds the emotion, and then describes the situation or behavior, followed by a proposed solution.

Establishing a feedback culture in companies

The most important criterion for developing a feedback culture within a company is establishing an environment of trust. In environments where employees feel comfortable expressing themselves and managers manage to communicate positively and constructively, rather than simply offering criticism, the feedback process occurs more naturally and spontaneously.

Top management can be a good role model and starting point for developing a feedback culture within companies. Regular, open, and constructive feedback from top management to subordinates is the right starting point for establishing a culture.

When employees receive feedback not only for mistakes but also for successes, the feedback culture begins to blossom and mature in the company.

Systematizing and organizing the feedback mechanism facilitates the integration of the culture into the company’s structure.

Instead of meeting solely for annual appraisals, managers and employees engage in lively discussions about specific topics at regular intervals throughout the year keeps the feedback culture vibrant and dynamic. These meetings can be conducted face-to-face, online, digitally, or through surveys.

Having two-way meetings, both for employees and managers, supports a fair and balanced feedback process.

Expecting a feedback culture to be established within a company in two days would be a mistake; therefore, regular training and awareness-raising content are crucial.

Employees and managers should be clearly informed about how feedback is given, the appropriate language for feedback, and even the appropriate time to provide feedback.

Thanks to these training programs and open communication methods, it’s easier to see feedback as an opportunity for the company, rather than an active criticism.

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Proper feedback should be informative for everyone and respectful of the person receiving it. Perhaps most importantly, it should be given in a timely manner and to develop the other party, not to criticize or belittle them.

I’ve included a simple document I’ve prepared for managing feedback below. You can easily organize, manage, and track your own feedback by downloading it.

Feedback checklist

For further reading, please visit the links below:

Main photo by Marco Bianchetti, Unsplash

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