Chapter 6: Feedback Flashcards
What is performance feedback?
Performance feedback: The process by which the individual
performance of an employee is evaluated over some period of time,
either formally or informally.
Why does feedback matter (EMD)
- Evaluation
- Helps you put one’s performance into perspective
- -> Assess of performance (relative to peers)
- -> inform them of future possibilities
- Motivation
Feedback can motivate people
- Goal Setting
- Rewards and/or punishment - Development
Help people to develop their skills
- Provide people with input to improve weaknesses
- Help people develop training and development plan
Why is feedback often difficult to give? (FSI)
- Fundamental attribution error
- Self fufilling prophecy
- Illusion of transparency
What is fundamental attribution error?
Otherwise known as correspondence bias, failures are more likely to attributed to others and successes to self
What is the fundamental attribution error matrix
Success self/Failures others:
Due to the internal and stable characteristics of the person
Self failure and others success:
Due to chance politics or situational constraints
Eg. Donald trump, highlights success in stock market because under his watch, feels like correction caused by other constraints (fed and interest rates)
What is self fufilling prophecy?
prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself
to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive
feedback between belief and behavior
eg. when 20% of randomly selected students are labelled as intelligent when compared to other students, saw massive increase in gains of IQ of 12.2 as compared to other students 8.4.
- US AIr force prep school
randomly grouped into 5 different sections based on ability level, higher ability group perform better - Job training program at manufacturing plant. Random group of workers labelled as high aptitude, resulted in them scoring higher scores, higher ratings and lower drop out rates
Hence we see that employees OFTEN turn out the way they are being treated
What is illusion of transparency?
tendency for people to overestimate how
transparent their thoughts are to others.
Seen in tapping study: one group are tappers the other are listeners, we see that 50% would recognise tapped melody, but in actual fact only 3% recognised the song
How does the illusion of transparency occur in performance appraisals
When managers instructed to convey 10% promotion likelihood, found that managers often overestimate how negative their feedback came across
what are the seven steps to give feedback effectively (DTUFUCF)
- Don’t wait! Feedback is most effective as behavior happens
- Take the other person’s perspective
- Use positive and open-ended framing
- Focus on things the recipient can control (i.e., behaviors not personality)
- Use examples of (un)desired behaviors
- Confirm understanding at the end
7 Follow-up with positive reinforcement when you see desired changes
WHy is perspective taking important?
Perspective taking: The act of perceiving a situation from another individual POV
we see that when managers start using perspective thinking, they are more likely to be aligned with employee on promotion likelihood than in the control
How does positive and open ended framing help when compared to narrow?
Positive framing: How we can choose to frame negative information in a more successful way
eg. if there is one thing you could improve
in the future why not consider….
Narrow minded often shows that you are more concerned about how it negatively affects you/company
open ended more open and wanting to solve interpersonal dynamic
How to receive feedback effectively (Think about guidelines and benefits of being proactive)
Guidelines when receiving feedback (DTTIT)
- Dont take it personally
- take time to digest
- think about whether feedback is consistent across time
- Internal vs external attribution
- Think about what you want to change and how
Important points about framing feedback
Very easy for feedback to escalate into fight due to unintentionally saying something critical
Is easy for people to be defensive
Managers frame difficult situations and decisions in an narrow (alternatives are not included) and binary (either or)
Important points of easing in
Easing in carries risk of employees not giving you answers that you are looking for –> illusion of transparency
The problem with easing in is that you are implying level of dissatisfaction without telling people the problem
Again feedback framing can be too narrow or binding
Easing in is a gamble because may lead to outcomes: don’t know whats gg on, refusal to play along, may lose confidence in boss, can easily strained relationship
Why isit hard to give feedback
- Reasearch shows that most people tend to overestmiate effect of person’s stable characteristics (individual disposition and capabilities) and underestimate impact of specific conditions which person is operating (FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR)
people more prone to committing FAE under demanding conditions. When they are facing huge workloads and tight deadlines, they have limited time and attention to engage in causes of situations, go with the first possible one
Framing it binary under stressful situations. People design behaviours eo gain control of situation and win or to lose.
