Feedback culture
A feedback culture is an environment in which feedback is regular, specific, safe and learning-oriented.
Definition
The culture of feedback is based on clear criteria, mutual respect and separation of the person from the behavior. Good feedback tells you what you noticed, what effect it had, and what can be changed. In organizations and teams, it supports learning, trust and faster error correction.
Key ideas
- Regularity
- Specificity and safety
- Learning instead of defending
Practice and life
Use the format: observation, influence, question, proposition. E.g. "I noticed X, it had Y effect. How do you see it? What can we change?"
Common misconceptions
It is a mistake to use feedback as hidden criticism. The second mistake is giving generalities that cannot be translated into action.
> Feedback works best where you don't have to defend yourself from the conversation itself.
> — Guru Element
Questions for self-reflection
- Does my feedback describe behavior or does it judge a person?
- Is it specific enough?
- Does the other side know what they could do differently?