What is Performance Feedback?
Performance feedback is the process of providing employees or individuals with information about their work performance to help them understand how effectively they are meeting expectations. This feedback can be positive, reinforcing good practices and achievements, or constructive, identifying areas that need improvement and offering guidance for development.
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Performance appraisal has existed since World War I. However, the concept of performance feedback is not as old as performance appraisal itself. It is hardly 60 years old and was partially used during World War II, though not exactly in its today’s form.
The feedback was provided mainly to inform about the level of performance and then decide salary accordingly. It was management-centric and ‘employee development’ was not the focus. Just like performance appraisal process, performance feedback is a continuous and cyclical process. Communication plays a key role in performance feedback.
Similarly, in the context of performance management system, during the performance review, the manager shares his/her feedback with the employee based on available data. mance.
Feedback provides an opportunity to modify actions appropriately. If the feedback is ‘solution and development’ oriented then, it also motivates and gives direction to the employee to achieve goals. Feedback is critical to progress, achievement of goals and even quality of performance.
Role of Performance Feedback
Feedback is an action taken by the manager to manage the progress of his/her team’s performance. Feedback plays a crucial role in performance appraisal process. Specific feedback provides a purpose and gives direction. Engaging and constructive feedback motivates the employee to perform better. Feedback is the process of appraising, deliberating and managing an employee’s performance. Feedback offers factual and helpful information to an employee about his/her performance.
Feedback helps to improve performance, behaviour and overall attitude towards things. It helps individuals to manage their actions to better meet the expectations of their manager and the organisation.
Feedback is critical to encourage individuals to achieve goals within their organisations values and guidelines. Feedback helps to reduce mistakes; thereby achieving individual and organisational goals.
The goal of performance feedback must be to improve performance and not just to criticise the results and behaviours. It is therefore important that managers generate insights by diagnosing the past performance as well. Feedback may not always motivate employees but that doesn’t mean that the manager holds back the negative feedback. Feedback must be shared with a growth mindset.
Types of Performance Feedback
Feedback is of many types and is necessary for many fields like mechanical engineering, chemistry, biology and psychology. Feedback could be formal, informal, corrective, proactive, positive, unstructured, etc.
Following are some of the ways in which feedback may be given:
- Positive: Focus is on what went right.
- Negative: Focus is on what went wrong.
- Formative: Focus is on data collection.
- Evaluative or summative: Focus is on the level of performance and actual results.
- Descriptive: Focus is on sharing details about what went right and what went wrong and what can be done differently. Formal: Focus is on planning, scheduling and then sharing the feedback in a formal setting.
- Informal: Focus is an informal setting and it is an ongoing feedback.
- Structured: Focus is on getting specific information, standard questions are used
- Unstructured: Focus is on getting overall information from various sources including social media.
- Constructive: Focus is on performance improvement and growth and therefore it is positive and supportive feedback.
Below are some commonly used types of performance feedback in organisations:
360-degree feedback
360-degree feedback is a method where not only employee completes a self-assessment, feedback on his/her performance is taken from his manager, manager’s manager, peers, internal as well as external customers and subordinates, if any. All the work connections provide feedback against the defined goals and therefore it is called 360-degree; from all sides, like completing a circle, including self.
This gives a holistic feedback about one’s performance. All the ratings collected are averaged out to get the final score on performance of an individual employee. It is possible that biases surface while providing feedback.
However, it is still very powerful method as this method collects data around ‘perceptions’ about oneself and how others experience oneself. And as we know, human being is a social animal, for anybody to perform in a role/job/task, one can’t work in isolation. Building relationships, network is also a competency and therefore 360-degree feedback, is widely appreciated and used.
This is a bit time consuming method. And therefore one must ensure appropriate communication to all stakeholders, timely follow ups and closures. Another drawback of this method is that not all respondents provide feedback and one may end up with, say 180 degree feedback, instead of full 360-degree feedback. Sometimes it is also possible that one doesn’t have subordinates or even peers! This is where the expertise of HR person comes at play! We need to choose an appropriate number of respondents.
For example, if one doesn’t have a subordinate then any junior person with whom one may have a working relationship may be selected. Similarly, if one is an individual contributor, say, a technical expert, one may not have peers. In this situation, other colleagues from project or other departments who have some working relationship with this technical expert may be selected for his/her 360-degree feedback.
Constructive feedback
Constructive criticism is a type of feedback that includes both positive and negative statements. It motivates and encourages the employee to perform better. The focus of constructive feedback is to work on the weaknesses and develop and implement action plans to overcome the weaknesses. This feedback serves as a supportive communication tool, rather than critical. It is important to share specific examples of behaviours to supplement one’s observations.
Constructive criticism focuses on the behaviour rather than the individual. It gives the employee a new perspective on his achievements as well as areas of improvement. It creates trust between the manager and the employee as both know the positive intentions behind the feedback.
A constructive feedback provides solutions to problems and gives specific and measurable areas to improve. The main of the constructive feedback is to achieve positive results.
Coaching
Coaching feedback is provided only when sought for. The direct reporting manager or the trained ‘coaches’ in the organisation (the ones who are other managers in the system), are contacted by the employees to seek feedback. If this type of feedback system is available in an organisation, the employees are encouraged to get the most benefit from this arrangement.
The coach offers inputs on overall performance and helps the employee make his/her own action plan. Coaching makes employees open to feedback, helps the manager understand the concerns of his employees and creates a collaborative relationship among the employee and the manager.
Evaluation
This is the most commonly used type of feedback. The employee and his/her manager rates themselves on defined goals and then a performance dialogue is conducted where the feedback is exchanged between the employee and his/her manager. To use the rating scale, level of performance is defined numerically.
Evaluation feedback helps evaluate the performance in measurable numbers and provides a numerical method to improve performance. The performance dialogue provides an opportunity for the employee and the manager to have an open dialogue about the overall performance and give and take feedback.
Principles of Performance Feedback
Theorists believe that the performance feedback must be based on the diagnosis of past performance and providing insights into what skills or competencies are required to improve the performance and change behaviour. Root cause analysis helps to decide actions for future performance.
Following are the principles of performance feedback:
Timeliness
Feedback must be timely. If the feedback is offered at right time, the employee gets time to take an appropriate action to improve his/her performance.
Objectivity
Feedback must be unbiased and impartial. If the feedback focuses on the facts and behaviour and doesn’t blame the ‘individual’, then it helps employees to try and change his/ her behaviour that is appropriate and helpful to achieve goals. Feedback that is subjective, attacks the individual, generalises the behaviour must be avoided at all times.
Specific
Feedback must be specific and not generic. For example, your behaviour with your team is not appropriate is a generic feedback. Instead, specific behaviour may be described. For example, whenever, your team members are not able to submit the work on time, you make rude comments about their capabilities in public and also comment about their dressing style during meetings.
At the same, you never appreciate your team member’s positive performance. Such specific feedback helps the receiver of the feedback to focus on what went wrong and avoids blaming the person.
Communicative
Feedback should be face to face. It helps to create a collaborative environment and avoids misunderstandings. In comparison to written feedback, communicative feedback allows employees to ask questions or gain more clarity.
Constructive
Feedback must be positive. Constructive feedback focuses on the solutions. It provides positive feedback as well as shares areas of improvement. Constructive feedback focuses on strengths as well as weaknesses. This allows the employee to improve their skills and competencies.
Detailed
Feedback must be descriptive whenever necessary. Detailed feedback helps employees to develop a clearer understanding of the areas in which he/she can improve. It is important that specific details about actions and behaviours are provided to the employee. This avoids biases and provides specific areas to work on.
Thus, if the feedback is focused on change and growth of the individual employee and in turn, the organisation, then such feedback mostly creates positive relationships and a better workforce.
Steps in Performance Feedback
Providing performance feedback is an important competency for a leader. It focuses on actions and behaviour rather than the individual.
For example, if an employee is always late to work and meetings, the constructive feedback will focus only on ‘late coming as a discipline issue’ rather than labeling the employee as ‘undisciplined’.
If the manager follows below steps, he/she can succeed in providing performance feedback to his/her team members:
Know why you want to provide the feedback, what is the area that you want to focus on – improve the strengths or correct the weaknesses of your team members or to encourage them to work for a common goal. Understanding your goals for giving feedback can assist you in determining the feedback settings, language, etc. Share this intention before the ‘feedback meeting’.
Provide periodic feedback
Performance appraisal reviews must be periodic and so must be the ‘constructive feedback’. Providing feedback at regular intervals is important. Therefore, it is important that the manager creates a schedule of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reviews ensuring that there is specific time kept for feedback.
Periodic feedback also provides the manager an opportunity to give timely feedback (as soon as possible after an action/behaviour). Scheduled timings for feedback meetings should be followed, but there should also be a room for sharing feedback as and when necessary.
Ensure that the feedback meetings are conducted face to face – at least as far as possible. If it is on online platform then prefer a video call where videos are switched on by the manager as well as the employee.
Writing down the feedback you want to share helps to ensure to be specific, honest and timely. It also clarifies your purpose behind sharing this particular feedback. Specific and descriptive feedback provides clarity about what you want to convey.
During the feedback meeting, it helps you to remain focused on the purpose of the feedback and also encourages the receiving employee to find solution.
Using the sandwich technique
It involves the following:
- Start the feedback meeting by appreciating the actions and behaviours that helped achieve the defined goals
- Share the actions and behaviours that did not help achieve the defined goals
- Talk about the challenges faced
- Provide a supportive environment where the manager works with the employee to develop an action plan to overcome challenges
- Work on the specific areas of improvement discussed during the feedback meeting
Listen
Feedback meeting must be a place where not only the manager talks but also listens to what the employee has to say. Just like communication, feedback should be two ways too. The employee may want to share the challenges faced, complaints about internal and external customers or policies or even might want to share some inappropriate behaviour on manager’s part.
The manager must constructively listen to the feedback and work on solution together with the employee. This helps build trust and motivates the employee to perform better.
Reach to conclusion
It is important to sum up each feedback meeting with agenda for next meeting. The meeting should conclude with a summary of key points discussed during the meeting, focusing on positive points and next plan of action. The constructive feedback should end on a positive note, by displaying confidence in employee’s abilities to improve and perform better.
In the post pandemic world, it is even more important that the manager ensures to connect with the employees on a regular basis to keep the morale high. Pandemic or no pandemic, the business has to run and therefore the manager will have to provide feedback to his/her team members on their performance.
In current, ‘work from home’ situation it is becoming more challenging to meet employees face to face. However, the manager must use the technology to his/her advantage and continue to provide timely feedback. Constructive feedback skills are far more important in today’s situation than ever before. The positive, forward looking feedback that performance feedback is, helps motivate the employees and create a collaborative environment and trusting relationship.
Levels of Performance Feedback
Most of the organisations follow a 5-point rating scale and each level of performance is described as follows:
- Excellent (5 rating): When one significantly and consistently exceeds expectations and role requirements, exceeds goal achievement, demonstrates role model behavior for others.
- Very Good (4 rating): When one overachieves some goals and exceeds expectations, achieves all the remaining goals, needs the least support and guidance and demonstrates a deep understanding of knowledge of one’s role.
- Good (3 rating): When one meets most of the outcomes, needs minimal support and guidance, demonstrates understanding of one’s role.
- Needs Improvement (2 rating): When one inconsistently performs at the level of expected performance, needs intermittent support and guidance and demonstrates a lack of understanding of one’s role.
- Poor (1 rating): When one consistently performs below the level of expected performance, needs constant support and guidance, demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of one’s role and doesn’t improve in spite of the feedback and learning opportunities provided
Based on the level of performance, feedback needs to be shared candidly. Even for poor and needs improvement feedback, the manager needs to share objective feedback and help employees to improve his/ her performance.
This is about individual performance feedback. However, like the goals are cascaded from top to bottom, the performance feedback also is important for the team and the overall organisation.
The level of performance would also mean how little and deep the feedback is shared. The feedback must always be specific but how detailed feedback is shared will depend on factors like during which review the feedback is shared, how critical is the feedback, how urgent is the change expected.
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