How to Implement the Feedback Culture in Your Organisation
Feb 08, 2018
Receiving feedback is not only an inherent aspect of our personal lives but also is a vital part of our daily corporate interactions. Whether it comes in the form of reports, reviews, evaluations or just as a general conversation, we may tend to take it for granted or even as criticism. However, it is a powerful tool which once applied strategically can help companies to boost employee motivation, retain key personnel and increase corporate productivity.
Implementing a feedback culture in the workplace can be challenging, but rewarding. Following these steps will help to guarantee a positive outcome.
Align with a Corporate Strategy
To implement a feedback culture, you will need to start by identifying how it aligns with your corporate strategy. For example, if your primary focus is providing outstanding Customer Service, you should encourage your employees to address it and make it central to any feedback they provide. It will help to clarify the purpose of feedback, lessen the personal aspect and keep your team in the right direction.
Develop Feedback Guidelines
It is essential for HR managers to formulate the corporate guidelines which will distinguish between positive and negative feedback, how to keep this constructive and how to manage the distinction between negative feedback and criticism. It is recommended to design as many case-studies as possible which will be accessible to all stakeholders and across all departments. Once the guides are created, you will then move on to define how you will document, measure, store and take action on the feedback.
Communicate the Benefits of Feedback
Your HR department has to educate both managers and employees. Do not limit yourself to the simple corporate presentation or a seminar. Organise the necessary training by arranging workshops with mixed groups of employees where you will work through the case-studies and provide feedback on the spot. Ideally also, conduct face to face sessions with line managers who are your link between top executives and blue-collar workers.
Launch the Feedback Practice
Make sure to start with the positive feedback; it is not only more motivating but also easier for employees to address their superiors. Encourage managers to avoid any general feedback, like "you did a great job," but provide with the specifics "your quick response to the client's problem helped us to renew the contract". Advocate openness in your organisation, but do not allow any negative feedback to be given in public.
Evaluate the Outcomes
As we mentioned earlier, incorporating feedback practices is quite challenging, but rewarding. If you do not have a clear indication of an increase in productivity or the feedback practices receive poor reviews, it means you have to re-evaluate your feedback setting and application. Utilise HR tools such as 360-degree assessments, which will give you a holistic view of the progress. Lastly, always make sure that your feedback practices are linked to your corporate objectives.
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