How Do You Give Constructive Feedback to Your Peers in a Self-Managing Organization?

‍How do you give constructive feedback? In self-managing organizations (SMOs), everyone is expected to be excited about feedback, like in the famous Netflix case. Employee testimonies on Netflix’s feedback system describe it as something “scary” at first, but eventually people start going around asking “do you have feedback for me” or saying “hey, I have feedback for you”.

When my students and I (yes, researchers also teach!) were discussing feedback in SMOs, we covered Netflix’s feedback culture, why it is cool, and why companies might want or not something similar (curious? Check the book) [1]. Funnily enough, some students kept looking quite puzzled, and one of them eventually asked:

“Professor, all these feedback systems are very cool, but you just said that people need to share feedback for the system to work, right? So, if you want to work in a company like Netflix, how do you give constructive feedback and what should you do to get it?”   

In our enthusiasm about feedback, we often forget to consider someone’s experience and abilities in terms of giving and receiving constructive feedback beyond the basics. Of course, being open-minded and asking questions is something that most of us know about. But how do you give constructive feedback, and how do you get good at it [3]? This seems to be a question typically left unanswered? Frederick Laloux, from reinventing organizations, has previously shared his thoughts on why feedback-related abilities are important and what it can add in SMOs, so that seems like a good place to start.

What Is Feedback?

Theoretically, feedback can be defined as information about a difference between the actual and desired level of an activity (e.g., performance), where the goal is to improve the level [4]. Laloux emphasizes that providing good feedback is challenging, but worthwhile because it has been shown to positively impact things such as personal development, problem-solving, and general performance [5]. Most research focuses on managers providing feedback, but over the past decade, we have started to realize that feedback between peers is a different game [6] (keen on reading about pitfalls for managers? Check this article).  

How Can We Use Feedback in Self-Managing Organizations?

Considering the building blocks of self-managing organizations (SMOs), such as empowerment, autonomy, and purpose, feedback is at the core of all these concepts [4]. Primarily, feedback serves two unique roles in SMOs. First, like in many organizations, its goal is to provide information on, for example, behavior or performance, to help someone ‘improve’ [6]. Second, feedback from peers is used as a tool to take over a lot of responsibility, which is normally held by managers [7]. 

So, what feedback is needed when the managerial role disappears [8]? Here are some use cases to illustrate this:

• Dutch organization Voys started using feedback from peers for their yearly employee reviews
• Great place to work Netherlands introduced a 360 feedback tool for performance development
• Netflix created their specific system for feedback in daily interactions.

💡Also read: 5 Ways to Encourage Internal Knowledge Sharing and Why It Matters

How Do You Give Constructive Feedback?

At the core of feedback stands not a system, mechanism, or model, but the individual [9, 10]! Recognizing the role of the individual in feedback allows for both greater feedback quality and more success [11]. However, the role of the individual is a ‘double-edged sword’ because often we tend to be too kind in our feedback. For example, many of us suffer from a  fear of offending or hurting someone with our feedback [12]. Interested in hearing more about individual differences in (peer) feedback? See this Harvard Business Review podcast! 

So how do you give constructive feedback? Here are 3 tips that can help:

1. Be clear and precise: It can be difficult to articulate feedback clearly and specifically enough for the recipient to understand and act upon. This is caused by the way in which the brain signals feedback, based on how it is presented. When it is too ‘soft’, we do not recognize it, whereas when it is too direct, we tend to become defensive. Finding the sweet spot is essential [13].

2. Manage timing: Finding the right moment to provide feedback can be tricky, especially if emotions are high or the subject is sensitive. We can time feedback in different ways. We can, for example, ‘feedforward’, where we provide feedback as soon as we note something, but this can catch someone off-guard. Iterative feedback is another option, which allows us to break feedback into separate, timed blocks. [14, 15].

3. Understand your impact: Though we do not always consider it, we play a big role in enabling and limiting others. The characteristics of the feedback source, like your roles or title, partly determine perceptions of feedback. There are three primary source characteristics that can impact the result of feedback: 

• Our status partly determines how ‘valid’ the information we provide is seen.
• The existing relationship between source and recipient is also important.
• And, perhaps most interesting for SMOs, is someone's ability to reward and punish, which can impact how seriously someone takes your feedback [16, 17].

What Else Should You Consider When You Provide Feedback?

Feedback is, of course, a two-way interaction. A lot of the responsibility regarding feedback lies with the recipient, where they can develop additional challenges that may harm feedback, even when it is provided ‘perfectly’[18]. These include:

1. Interpreting Intent: It can be challenging to interpret the intention accurately behind the feedback—whether it's genuinely meant to help or to criticize. So, ask yourself what the true intention is!
2. Emotional Impact: Feedback can sometimes evoke strong emotions, making it difficult to objectively assess its validity.
3. Confirmation Bias: People might dismiss feedback that contradicts their self-perception or existing beliefs about themselves.
4. Defensiveness: Feeling attacked or criticized can trigger a defensive response, hindering one from truly hearing and processing the feedback.
5. Feedback fatigue: Receiving too much feedback at once or conflicting feedback can be overwhelming and confusing. Striking a balance between amount, frequency, and direction of feedback is essential.

What is Next? Take Charge With Feedback-Seeking Behavior (FSB)!

Feedback seeking describes the conscious devotion of effort toward determining the level of adequacy of an activity, system, or mechanism, and improving this level [18]. We tend to think of feedback as something that must be given, like presents. But in reality, it is something that we can and should seek ourselves because all of the known advantages of feedback could be triggered by yourself  [4, 19]. No need to patiently wait!

What can help us in seeking feedback effectively?

1. Psychological safety

When individuals feel psychologically safe in their work environment, they are more likely to seek feedback. Psychological safety means feeling safe to take interpersonal risks, such as asking for feedback, without fear of negative consequences to one’s self-image or career [20].

2. Trust

Trust between people is essential [21]. Trustworthy relationships foster an environment where feedback can be given and received openly and constructively. What could harm trust in your organization? Take a look at this Harvard Business Review article.

3. Nonviolent communication training 

Proving and receiving feedback, just as any activity, can improve over time [24]. A potential approach to training feedback is called nonviolent communication (NVC), where the emphasis is on the choice of language. NVC suggests that any communication can only be successful when you:

1. Understand yourself. Why do you react the way you do when you receive feedback? Why do you phrase feedback in the way you do? 
2. Express your needs. You can clearly communicate your needs in a given situation. 
3. Can understand others: do you possess the skills to truly understand someone else's needs?

4. Celebrating feedback

When individuals see that feedback they sought has led to tangible improvements or changes in their performance or development, they are more likely to continue seeking feedback in the future [19].

Below you can find an overview of what we know in terms of causes and consequences related to feedback-seeking behavior (FSB), and if you’re interested in more details, take a look at the work by Susan J. Ashford.

Do you still feel that seeking feedback might be difficult, or not something that would work for you? Then you probably perceive feedback as a burden or challenge. Can you think of any reason why feedback would be enjoyable? Take a look at the video below to get some ideas👇

The Quick Read

In response to the question “How do you give constructive feedback to your peers in a self-managing organization?”, we can say that this is by no means a straightforward process with just fa few steps. There are several people and about a thousand moving parts to consider. Does that make it impossible? No! Feedback will always be challenging… But the benefits of feedback are attainable when we provide feedback clearly and timely, remain aware of the potential reactions in ourselves and others, and actively seek feedback.

Self-management tools like Holaspirit can bring you the framework you need to visualize the roles, the processes, and the projects of your self-managed teams. This in turn can aid feedback by showing whom you could seek feedback from. 

Want to know more about the organizational models and tools that can help you give constructive feedback in a self-managing organization? Take a look at our latest white paper “The Ultimate Guide to Organizational Models" 👇

Access White Paper

In the white paper "The Ultimate Guide to Organizational Models", you'll get: a comprehensive overview of innovative organizational models (like Agile, Teal, Holacracy, Constitutional Management, and more), testimonials from pioneer organizations that have successfully adopted it, best practices for choosing, implementing and measuring the effectiveness of our model, as well as digital tools to facilitate the transition.

Additional resources

🔥 Article picks: Overcome Your Fear of Giving Feedback & How We Built A Feedback Culture: Using Tacos, Burgers, And Sushi!

🔥 Book pick: The Power of Flexing: How to Use Small Daily Experiments

🔥 Video picks:  Feedback is a Gift

Sources

[1]    Hastings, R., & Meyer, E. (2020). No rules rules: Netflix and the culture of reinvention. Random house.

[2]    Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2012). What is the problem with feedback?. In Feedback in higher and professional education (pp. 1-10). Routledge.

[3]    Bradford, D. L., & Burke, W. W. (Eds.). (2005). Reinventing organization development: New approaches to change in organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

[4]    Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing organizations (Vol. 58). Brussels: Nelson Parker.

[5]    Ramaprasad, A. (1983). On the definition of feedback. Behavioral science, 28(1), 4-13.

[6]    Kim, J., Zitek, E. M., & Stroup, C. M. (2024). The Power of Words: Employee Responses to Numerical vs. Narrative Performance Feedback. Academy of Management Discoveries, (ja).

[7]    Lee, M. Y., & Edmondson, A. C. (2017). Self-managing organizations: Exploring the limits of less-hierarchical organizing. Research in organizational behavior, 37, 35-58.

[8]    Martela, F. (2019). What makes self-managing organizations novel? Comparing how Weberian bureaucracy, Mintzberg’s adhocracy, and self-organizing solve six fundamental problems of organizing. Journal of Organization Design, 8(1), 1-23.

[9]    London, M. (2003). Job feedback: Giving, seeking, and using feedback for performance improvement. Psychology Press.

[10]    Breaugh, J. A. (2004). Job feedback: Giving, seeking, and using feedback for performance improvement.

[11]    Lechermeier, J., & Fassnacht, M. (2018). How do performance feedback characteristics influence recipients’ reactions? A state-of-the-art review on feedback source, timing, and valence effects. Management Review Quarterly, 68(2), 145-193.

[12]    Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., Nathan DeWall, C., & Zhang, L. (2007). How emotion shapes behavior: Feedback, anticipation, and reflection, rather than direct causation. Personality and social psychology review, 11(2), 167-203.

[13]    Gonzalez-Mulé, E., Courtright, S. H., DeGeest, D., Seong, J. Y., & Hong, D. S. (2016). Channeled autonomy: The joint effects of autonomy and feedback on team performance through organizational goal clarity. Journal of Management, 42(7), 2018-2033.

[14]    Kulik, J. A., & Kulik, C. L. C. (1988). Timing of feedback and verbal learning. Review of educational research, 58(1), 79-97.

[15]    Houten, R. V., Hill, S., & Parsons, M. (1975). An analysis of a performance feedback system: The effects of timing and feedback, public posting, and praise upon academic performance and peer interaction 1. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 8(4), 449-457.

[16]    Vancouver, J. B., & Morrison, E. W. (1995). Feedback inquiry: The effect of source attributes and individual differences. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 62(3), 276-285.

[17]    Roberson, Q. M., & Stewart, M. M. (2006). Understanding the motivational effects of procedural and informational justice in feedback processes. British journal of Psychology, 97(3), 281-298.

[18]    Ashford, S. J., Blatt, R., & VandeWalle, D. (2003). Reflections on the looking glass: A review of research on feedback-seeking behavior in organizations. Journal of management, 29(6), 773-799.

[19]    Ashford, S. J. (1986). Feedback-seeking in individual adaptation: A resource perspective. Academy of Management journal, 29(3), 465-487.

[20]    Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z. (2014). Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091305

[21]    Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of management review, 20(3), 709-734.

[22]    Rosenberg, M. B., & Chopra, D. (2015). Nonviolent communication: A language of life: Life-changing tools for healthy relationships. PuddleDancer Press.

[23]    Gorsevski, E. W. (2004). Peaceful persuasion: The geopolitics of nonviolent rhetoric. SUNY Press.

[24]    Panadero, E., & Lipnevich, A. A. (2022). A review of feedback models and typologies: Towards an integrative model of feedback elements. Educational Research Review, 35, 100416.