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Feedback
4/29/09
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Feedback
Copyright 2009, Ara Bouloutian. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into another language without the prior written consent of the author.
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Feedback RULE #6: FEEDBACK
Feedback is providing a continuing pipeline of information and data with respect to progress toward attaining an objective(s).
THINK 1. EXPECTATIONS Objectives Sub objectives Job description
2. PROCESSES 3. RESOURCES Equipment Tools People Space/Environment Budget
4. INCENTIVES Compensation Communications Recognition Objectives Control
5. SKILLS-TRAINING 6. FEEDBACK 7. MOTIVATION
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Feedback FEEDBACK
QUESTIONS TO ASK
1. Is there a feedback system in place for providing feedback on people’s progress?
Y-N-?-N/A
2. Is the feedback system comprehensive?
Y-N-?-N/A
Does feedback system include how and how often the feedback information is delivered? Does the feedback include the deficiencies? Do the people participate in designing the feedback system? Does the feedback system take into consideration all of the model elements?
Y-N-?-N/A
3. Is there an effective procedure for reviewing feedback with management?
Y-N-?-N/A
4. Does manager manage the review meeting?
Y-N-?-N/A
Y-N-?-N/A Y-N-?-N/A Y-N-?-N/A
Is the feedback communicated in the most efficient and helping manner possible?
Y-N-?-N/A
5. Has individual been given responsibility of managing feedback review meeting?
Y-N-?-N/A
Is the individual required to review the performance data and then make a date to meet with the management? When meeting, does manager take the role of listener, reflect on information presented, and then offer suggestions and questions? Does meeting routine include reviewing objectives for period and year to date, deficiencies, the corrective actions needed, and performance forecast for next period?
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Y-N-?-N/A
Y-N-?-N/A Y-N-?-N/A
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Feedback
FEEDBACK The first six elements may be planned perfectly, but if people don’t get FEEDBACK, performance problems can surface.
Is there a feedback system in place for providing feedback on people’s progress? Where there is no or little feedback, a person or group: * will not know how well they are doing * will be guessing about how well they are doing * will not know if there are deficiencies * will not be able to correct mistakes * can tend to forget the seriousness of the objectives and the job If a golfer makes an error in judgment, a good caddie, the team, and/or coach will offer encouragement and suggestions. If a football player misses a block or defends incorrectly he will get immediate feedback so he knows what to do on the next play. When a basketball player takes a risky shot when he should have passed it to a teammate he will be reminded very quickly of what he was expected to do. If a soccer player attempts to over control the ball rather than work with his teammates, the coach won’t hesitate to let him know what he should be doing. And in any of these circumstances, if the behaviors don’t change, the player may be replaced.
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Feedback
Feedback needs to be reasonably frequent and it does not mean telling people they are doing poorly. The objective is to inform with data and encouragement. Feedback is maintained as a running record of progress for a day, month, year, and year to date, along with ratios, comparisons, short falls, correcting actions, and anything else that can guide their day-today decisions. Similar to the other elements, if workers participate in developing the feedback system they will work harder to deliver results.
Don’t mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it, if unfair, don’t be irritated, if it is ignorant, smile, if it is justified, it is not criticism, learn from it. Author Unknown
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Feedback
PLANNING THE FEEDBACK SYSTEM Does the feedback system include how and how often feedback information and data is delivered? Feedback may be delivered verbally, in print, or using interactive software. How often it is given to people depends on the nature of the job. Some jobs may require daily feedback, others weekly, monthly, and so on, all depending on the job. For example, if a person sells vacuum cleaners they may receive feedback every day because they are expected to perform on a daily basis. This can also apply to people working on a production line. Someone involved in research may receive feedback over a longer span of time. If feedback is provided too often there may be insufficient data. If it is not provided often enough it may be too late to do any good. Feedback will include progress against the objectives and subobjectives as well as other model elements. It should also clearly indicate the deficiencies so that the people will know what is needed for improvement.
Do the people participate in designing the feedback system? No one knows more about how much performance is possible at the high, moderate and low ends than the workers themselves. By allowing them to contribute their thinking to the process and making them stakeholders is an acknowledgment of their value, which is a clear incentive to perform.
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Feedback
Does the feedback include the deficiencies? Feedback needs to include where performance may have fallen short so that the person can figure out how to correct the problem(s), or get help in doing so.
Does feedback system consider the model elements? When planning anything, feedback is the sixth tactic because some or all of the prior tactics may need to be included as part of the feedback system. Here are some questions indicating how the elements may be part of the feedback system. Expectations: What are the objectives? Processes: Are the processes executed in accordance to the requirements? What improvements can help improve performance?
THINK
Resources: Is there any indication that changes in tools would improve results?
1. EXPECTATIONS
Incentives: Are people on target with respect to the incentives? What needs to happen to improve focus?
3. RESOURCES
Skills-Training: Has the results of training shown up as improved performance?
5. SKILLS-TRAINING
Feedback: What are things we can do to improve on the information and data distributed?
7. MOTIVATION
2. PROCESSES
4. INCENTIVES
6. FEEDBACK
Motivation: Are the people happy and satisfied in their work?
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Feedback
THE REVIEW PROCESS Is there an effective procedure for reviewing feedback with management? At the end of every period (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), people need to review their feedback data and information with management: current and year to date, ratios, variances, corrective actions, forecasts, and so on depending on the job.
Does the manager manage the review meeting? In most cases, a manager will meet with and manage the meeting for reviewing and discussing an individual’s performance. What generally occurs is the manager will inform the invidividual of his/her progress toward attaining the objective(s). Further s/he will inform the individual of what needs to happen to improve or in the best of cases will ask the individual what needs to happen to produce improvement.
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Feedback
Has the individual been given responsibility of managing the feedback review meeting? You may recall with respect to incentives, one of the incentives is giving people reasonable control over their jobs, which can generate pride of workmanship and teamwork. Keeping that in mind, here is another way of managing a review meeting by reversing the process and letting the individual manage his or her own meeting, which accomplishes the goal of giving people respoonsibility and control over their jobs. By doing so they become stakeholders, which increases their motivation to be serious about their progress toward attaining their objective(s).
Is the individual required to review the performance data and then make a date to meet with the management? When meeting, does the manager take the role of listener, reflect on the information presented, and then offer suggestions and questions? Does the meeting routine include reviewing objectives for period and year to date, deficiencies, corrective actions, and performance for next period? NOTE: Whether the leader or employee manages the meeting is up to the leader. What matters most is that a review meeting is held frequently enough and is a constructive and encouraging experience.
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Feedback
PLAYING THE GAME For your job or another, record needed FEEDBACK elements on the following SCRATCHPAD or one of your own making.
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SCRATCHPAD (side 1)
PLAYER NAME: TEAM NAME: BARRIER
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SOLUTION
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COST TO FIX
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SCRATCHPAD (Side 2)
BARRIER
SOLUTION
KEEPING SCORE ESTIMATED POTENTIAL GAIN
ESTIMATED NET POTENTIAL GAIN
ACTUAL NET GAIN
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COST TO FIX
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Feedback APPLYING FEEDBACK
APPLYING FEEDBACK TO ANY INDIVIDUAL WORKER Considering the overall job, am I on target with respect to each of the objectives and/or items being tracked? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO ANY INDIVIDUAL LEADER Considering the overall job, is each individual (and team) on target with respect to each of the objectives and/or other items being tracked? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO A PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Is each member of production team on target with respect to each of the objectives and/or other items being monitored? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM Is each player (and team) on target with respect to their objectives and/or other items being monitored? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO A LOCAL SMALL GROCERY STORE Is each clerk (and team) on target with respect to their objectives and/or other items being monitored? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO AN OVERNIGHT DELIVERY TEAM Is each driver (and team) on target with respect to their quality of service and customer service objectives? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO A LOCAL INSURANCE AGENCY Are the sales people and clerks on target with respect to their customer service and order processing objectives? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO A LEMONADE STAND VENDOR Am I on target with respect to my objectives for quality of product and customer satisfaction? APPLYING FEEDBACK TO A HOSPITAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT Are the nurses and other support people on target with respect to their quality of patient care objectives?
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THE SCOREBOARD Pre Game Game Plan Expectations Processes Resources Incentives Skills-Training Feedback Motivation Keeping Score The End Game
Adults are a lot like children. If they don’t get feedback frequently, they forget or ignore what was expected.
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