HUMAN RESOURCES at MIT

Ongoing Feedback

Feedback is a focused dialogue between a manager and an employee, a method of sharing information and perspectives about performance. The goal of ongoing feedback is to identify where performance is effective and where performance needs improvement. Giving and receiving feedback is a two-way street; both the manager and the employee should be proactive by frequently seeking out and providing feedback.

BASELINE PRACTICES
  1. Deliberate, planned conversations about performance occur between manager and employee at least two times per year, including the annual review


BEST PRACTICES (Baseline Practices plus ...)
  1. Candid feedback is given frequently and focused on performance successes or how to improve performance
  2. Individual performance goals are revisited more than once a year
  3. Where applicable, groups get aggregate feedback on group goals

Learn more about Baseline and Best Practices.

The Best Practice Difference

The additional steps in Best Practices are both qualitative and quantitative. The upgrade from Baseline Practices is that feedback is tied explicitly to performance. In addition, Best Practices feedback is candid and given frequently. Performance goals are revisited during the course of the year so that the employee knows that he or she is on track, or knows what to do to get back on track.

Some work groups do not have group goals; for those that do, Best Practice means that everyone gets feedback—in the aggregate—about progress toward those goals.

Effective feedback should:

  • Be timely (not months after good or problematic situation)
  • Be specific (identify impacts or effects of employee's actions)
  • Be behavior-based (focus on acts, not attitudes)
  • Be motivated by desire to help, not punish

Example: "In today's meeting, I noticed you started to talk when Bob was still speaking. You did this again when Joan was talking. These interruptions made it hard for us to hear their ideas. I don't think they had a chance to finish what they wanted to say. I know you are very enthusiastic about this topic, but it would be better if next time you would make sure the person talking is finished before you start. That way we'll all get to hear everyone's ideas."

Feedback is self-reinforcing. The more it is practiced, the more skilled the practitioner becomes, and therefore, the greater the result.

The ability to give constructive feedback is a key communications skill. Read the OED Learning Topic article "The Gourmet Chef's Guide to Giving Feedback" to learn more.

 


More on this topic: