Feedback Culture
How employers can purposefully build a culture of ongoing, honest, and connecting mutual feedback.
Why is a feedback culture so important?
Mutual feedback is an indispensable ingredient for developing Cultural DNA. Regardless of the type of culture you aspire to as a company.
Yet, both employees and employers often indicate that they would like to see more exchange of mutual feedback. More importantly: departing employees even cite 'lack of feedback' as one of the main reasons they decide to change jobs. Why do so many teams struggle with building a strong feedback culture? And more importantly: what can you do about it as an employer?
In this deep dive, we zoom in on the key aspects of a healthy and vibrant feedback culture. We discuss the purpose of a feedback culture and why it is so crucial for team development. Furthermore, we explore the challenges people face with giving and receiving feedback. Finally, we introduce the key foundational building blocks that are essential for creating a strong feedback culture and specifically outline how employers and employees can get to work.
The good news:
Giving and receiving feedback is simply a skill.
Before we dive into the content, it's important to dispel a widespread misconception: the idea that some people are naturally good at giving feedback and others are simply not capable of it. Everyone needs feedback, in one form or another. Although some people are naturally more inclined to give or seek feedback, giving and receiving feedback is a skill anyone can learn. It's about understanding, practicing, and most importantly, doing.
The importance of a healthy feedback culture
A strong feedback culture is essential for teams and companies for two main reasons:
- It increases the learning ability: Teams that regularly give and receive feedback perform better because they learn faster. Feedback makes team members aware of their strengths and where they can still grow. This continuous learning process makes the team more efficient and effective.
- It strengthens mutual relationships: Regular feedback promotes open and honest communication within a team, leading to stronger mutual bonds. This creates a closer and more cohesive team where cooperation and mutual respect are the norms.
Healthy feedback culture =
Team members openly and confidently give each other feedback, regardless of position in the hierarchy.
The Goal: a Feedback Culture?
A healthy feedback culture revolves around the open and confident exchange of feedback between team members, regardless of position or hierarchy. This creates an environment where everyone feels free to address both positive and improvement points. Such a culture fosters open communication and focuses on continuous learning and improvement. Feedback helps team members become aware of the impact of their behavior, whether it is reinforcing or corrective.
Corrective feedback is aimed at helping someone act more effectively in the future. It is often called 'corrective feedback', which quickly takes on a negative connotation— as if something wrong was done. While it’s all about growth and development. Therefore, not only what you say is important, but also how you present it. Well-formulated corrective feedback provides someone with concrete tools to become stronger in what he or she does. Ultimately, this, together with reinforcing feedback, forms the basis for a culture where everyone can continue to develop.
Strengthening feedback (tops)
This form of feedback focuses on recognizing and valuing what goes well. It makes team members aware of the positive impact of their actions and motivates them to continue on the same path. Through strengthening feedback, colleagues recognize each other's efforts and achievements and show that they are appreciated. This not only reinforces positive behavior but also contributes to a positive working atmosphere.
Corrective feedback (tips)
This form of feedback focuses on areas for improvement. It helps team members understand where their behavior or approach can be better and offers concrete suggestions for improvement. Corrective feedback is essential for growth, both personal and professional, and helps teams achieve common goals. Well-delivered corrective feedback also strengthens collaboration and team dynamics.
What makes giving feedback so difficult?
Although many people like to receive feedback to grow, they often find it difficult to be vulnerable. Both giving and receiving feedback requires openness, which can sometimes feel risky. People are afraid of hurting others or creating awkward situations, making it difficult to be critical. There is often uncertainty about what is expected of each other, which can cause tension or conflict. But: both employers and team members can overcome these obstacles. By collectively addressing these challenges, teams can build a strong feedback culture.
The 3 building blocks of a feedback culture:
BUILDING BLOCK #1
A clearly shared team goal and associated expectations
For a successful feedback culture, every team member must clearly know what the common goal is and what they can expect from each other. This provides a common framework for feedback. If everyone knows what the end goal is and what role they play in it, giving and receiving feedback becomes a natural part of the work process. It is not only important to be clear about expectations in terms of skills but especially about behavior. Feedback on behavior has the most impact and provides the greatest growth potential. Drafting a Cultural Manifesto with team-wide values and behaviors is essential for developing a strong feedback culture.
BUILDING BLOCK #2
Trust and Safety
Team members need to be able to trust that their feedback is valued and that there is a clear difference between 'feedback' and 'evaluation'. Both have a role, but are fundamentally different. Feedback is advice that the recipient can work with independently, without any direct consequences attached. However, once feedback is perceived as an evaluation with consequences, it hinders the development of a healthy feedback culture.
As an employer, it is therefore crucial to make a clear distinction between feedback and evaluation, and to clarify how feedback does or does not contribute to the evaluation of talent development. Good exemplary behavior – by actively seeking and receiving feedback oneself – helps to build trust and shows that critical feedback is welcome.
BUILDING BLOCK #3
The skill to effectively ask for and give feedback
Effective feedback is about conveying a message clearly and specifically. It is not only about what you say, but also about how you say it. The skill to effectively give and receive feedback can be learned by anyone.
Effective feedback focuses on specific situations, clarifies the impact of a particular action, and discusses possible future actions. Simple techniques can help both the feedback giver and receiver to give or ask for feedback in a constructive way. This lowers the barrier for feedback and reduces the tension that can accompany it. Training in feedback methods have proven to be effective in strengthening these skills and help to develop a positive feedback culture.
WRAPPING UP
A healthy feedback culture is indispensable for a well-functioning team and a strong Cultural DNA.
It not only enhances performance through a continuous cycle of learning and improvement, but also strengthens interpersonal relationships within the team. By integrating both reinforcing and corrective feedback and ensuring clarity, trust, and the necessary skills, teams can develop a strong feedback culture that leads to success and satisfaction in the workplace.