When you hear the word, “feedback,” what comes to mind? Most likely it’s an image or a memory of a time when someone gave you negative feedback, either constructively or, even worse, destructively. Why is that?
Much ink and many pixels have been spent telling us how to give and receive negative constructive feedback. There are rules: it must be viewed as an opportunity for growth; it must be fact based; both manager and employee must create action plans that guide change; and so on. Constructive feedback certainly has its place, but new research suggests that our time might be better spent on giving regular positive feedback.
A study conducted by Dr. Satoris Culbertson published in the Journal of Personnel Psychology found that none of the employees surveyed responded well, or felt motivated by, constructive or corrective feedback given during performance evaluations. This is supported by research by the Corporate Research Council showing that formal reviews that emphasize strengths increase performance by 10 percent more than those focusing on weaknesses. The same study showed that the real benefit comes with frequent informal positive feedback that was found to boost performance by a whopping 39 percent.
Another study, this one published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, tracked workers in a manufacturing plant. Regular positive feedback correlated with nearly perfect safety scores. When the feedback stopped, safety performance decreased to 80 percent only to shoot back up when it was reinstated.
Study after study supports the fact that one of the most effective ways to get someone to change their behavior is to get them to focus on the behaviors you DO want to see, rather than constantly pointing out those you DON’T. So if research supports the use of positive feedback in increasing performance, why don’t more leaders and managers use this tool?
When you ask a manager this question, responses may range from “There’s just not enough time.” to “Good people know they’re doing good work and don’t need to be mollycoddled.” or even “If I do that, they’ll ask for a raise!” Often, a deeper truth lies beneath these responses—our culture simply does not teach us how to give authentic positive feedback. When people do not perform up to expectations, we are taught to call out the action or behavior and suggest ways they can improve. As a result of this conditioning, giving positive feedback can feel odd, counterintuitive, or inauthentic. And because focusing on corrective feedback is ingrained into our culture, research alone may not be enough to shift behavior.
My challenge to you is to try it out and gauge the results for yourself.
Here are some strategies that can help you do this with your team:
Be Specific. Identify the specific behavior or action you would like to praise. Instead of “Bob, great job at the meeting,” try “Bob, the way you stepped up to craft the agenda and lead the meeting really it made it smooth and effective—thanks!”
Link the Behavior to an Impact. Make sure that the impact the behavior had on the team is clear. This helps put the behavior in a larger team context.
Small Is Significant. When trying to help someone shift their behavior or adopt new habits, point out even small steps in the right direction. Changing old habits is tough and transformation is incremental.
Keep It Current. Try to give positive reinforcement in real time. The more time elapses, the less impact the feedback will have and the less authentic it may feel.
Make It Public. Once you have established a culture that embraces positive feedback, don’t be shy about it! One of the best ways to recruit high-quality team members is to let them know that you appreciate the current team they’ll be joining. Put recognition from managers, peers, and customers on monitors where everyone can see it.
Give one or more of these ideas a shot. And remember that culture change is incremental. It might be challenging at first, but, as the research shows, the work will pay off.