We all know the importance of feedback being an effective tool since it recognizes strengths and weaknesses within your organization- having the ability to highlight things that don’t go as well and what works. Your team can’t thrive without a strong feedback culture and the effectiveness of having their voice and opinions heard at all levels has a multitude of benefits for your business. Feedback helps employees grow and improves performance, both on an individual and an organizational level. But creating a feedback culture in your workplace isn’t always easy.
It sounds simple but it’s likely that at some point you’ve received a piece of feedback that left you somewhat confused. That’s not the sort of feedback that you should be aiming for hence, the culture surrounding it should be defined in terms of what you’re wanting your team to express. Feedback should always be clear and delivered sensitively and honestly, getting to the heart of the issue so it can be resolved effectively.
Consistent feedback practices play an important role in increasing employee productivity, yet there are still a few companies that fail to engage their employees due to their outdated performance practices. Many companies that follow annual performance reviews often have a problem with employee engagement because there is no frequent communication happening between the employees and the managers. Goals are reviewed only on an annual basis.
Feedback helps businesses be more agile – circumstances can change suddenly, and for many businesses, their feedback system doesn’t allow them to adapt quick enough with no real-time solution in place. Having a constant flow of feedback means that you can face challenges head-on as they occur.
Feedback from diverse teams and backgrounds brings a range of fresh perspectives, an effective avenue to consider would be anonymous feedback platforms that encourage honesty without fear of reprisals or hurting relationships within the organization. They will generate innovation, engagement, and productivity thus showing that real change comes from it.
When something such as feedback becomes a habit, it naturally becomes a part of the company culture. Change takes time and requires buy-in from everyone in the organization. A culture that never asks for employee feedback, opinions, or ideas will take longer to adjust than one that already has established solid communication with its team.
Act on the feedback and discuss the impact of your changes. Feedback culture doesn’t mean much of anything unless you take the responses you receive and act on them. While you don’t have to oblige every idea and opinion, it is important to take each one into consideration and employ those you think will lead to improvements. For ideas you do not end up using, explaining why you made your decision can help to ensure that your employees still feel heard.
In order to have a feedback-driven culture, it should form part of the onboarding process of employees. Showing you’ve taken feedback on board helps build personal accountability. Leaders can hold their hands up for the actions they take, acknowledge any mistakes made, or admit when initiatives fall short. This inspires others to be accountable and continue to take risks with the improvement of the business and themselves in mind.
