What it’s all about
Feedback is an essential tool in the management process. When used professionally, feedback not only serves to improve performance, but also to motivate and develop employees professionally. However, an unprofessional approach to this tool can also lead to mistakes that do more harm than good. This article outlines the five most common mistakes made by managers when giving feedback and their negative consequences.
Lack of or inadequate preparation
A widespread mistake is the lack of or inadequate preparation for feedback meetings. Many managers do not take the time to collect concrete examples and data to back up their feedback. Instead, vague impressions and general statements are used. Unprepared feedback is often perceived as arbitrary and poorly thought out, which affects employees’ trust in the manager and their judgement. Vague feedback also leads to confusion and uncertainty among employees, as they have no concrete evidence of how they can improve. Without clear examples and evidence, employees feel unfairly treated, which leads to demotivation and frustration.
Feedback only for negative events
Another common mistake is that managers only give feedback when something has gone wrong. Positive performance, on the other hand, is taken for granted and remains uncommented on. This has a number of negative consequences: Employees who only receive negative feedback feel discouraged and undervalued. Employees’ performance is not recognised, which has a negative impact on their motivation and morale. An imbalance between positive and negative feedback also leads to a negative work culture in which employees focus primarily on avoiding mistakes and shortcomings instead of focussing on their strengths and successes. One-sided negative feedback also undermines employees’ trust in their manager and strains the relationship between manager and team.
Feedback in public
A classic mistake is to give feedback in the presence of others. This is especially true of critical feedback given in the presence of colleagues or even customers. It shames and humiliates employees through its “pillory effect”. This not only affects employees’ self-esteem, but also reduces respect and loyalty towards the manager. Public feedback always leads to resentment and tension in the team due to exposure. Employees who are criticised in public are reluctant to communicate openly or approach their manager for fear of further humiliation.
Imbalance between praise and criticism
Another common mistake is the imbalance between praise and criticism. Some managers tend to either only praise or only criticise without finding a balance between the two. Too much praise is perceived as dishonest and superficial, too much criticism as destructive and demotivating. In both cases, the manager’s credibility suffers. Employees who receive only praise or only criticism either become complacent in the long term or develop the feeling that they can never do anything right. Both lead to a drop in performance and reduce the effectiveness of the feedback. Balanced feedback is necessary to show employees both their strengths and their areas for development. Without this balance, there is no clear direction for personal and professional development.
Too little feedback
An underestimated mistake is to give too little feedback. Some managers limit themselves to annual performance reviews or only intervene when acute problems arise. This lack of continuity makes it difficult for employees to continuously improve and recognise how they are developing over time. Without regular feedback, many small successes and advances go unrecognised and problems can become entrenched and worsen unnoticed. Employees have fewer opportunities to improve and develop their skills through regular feedback. The result is performance stagnation and missed skills development.
Conclusion
Mistakes in feedback have far-reaching negative consequences for employees and the entire organisation. From lack of preparation to one-sided and public feedback to unbalanced or infrequent feedback, each of these weaknesses has a negative impact on employee motivation, trust and performance. Managers need to be aware of the importance of professional feedback and avoid common mistakes in order to promote this tool for creating, stabilising and developing a positive, supportive and productive work culture.
Futher reading
- Goler, L., Gale, J., Harrington, B., & Grant, A. M. (2018). The feedback fallacy. Harvard Business Review, 96(2), 92-101.
- Pendleton, D., & Furnham, A. (2016). Leadership: All you need to know. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Brockbank, A., & McGill, I. (2012). Facilitating reflective learning: Coaching, mentoring and supervision. Kogan Page Publishers.
- Culbert, S. A. (2010). Get rid of the performance review!: How companies can stop intimidating, start managing–and focus on what really matters. Business Plus.
- Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2014). Harvard Business Review on giving effective feedback. Harvard Business Press.
- Aguinis, H., Gottfredson, R. K., & Culpepper, S. A. (2013). Best-practice recommendations for estimating cross-level interaction effects using multilevel modeling. Journal of Management, 39(6), 1490-1528.
- Cappelli, P., & Tavis, A. (2016). The performance management revolution. Harvard Business Review, 94(10), 58-67.
- Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A. (2015). Reinventing performance management. Harvard Business Review, 93(4), 40-50.
- Pulakos, E. D., Mueller-Hanson, R. A., & Arada, S. (2019). The evolution of performance management. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, 145-171.
- Bouskila-Rivburt, A., & Koren, A. (2016). Supervisors’ awareness of performance feedback delivery and their perceived communication competence. International Journal of Business Communication, 53(1), 3-24.
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R2049 