Giving and receiving feedback in a formal performance appraisal can be a task that managers consider unpleasant and employees view as unhelpful. The added paperwork, the challenges of appropriately incentivizing performance with pay or promotion, the lack of actionable feedback given or received: all of these cause managers and their charges to view traditional feedback paradigms with cynicism and skepticism. Is there another way to integrate feedback into the workplace without dampening enthusiasm?
On his website, Marshall Goldsmith discusses some of the limitations of traditional feedback: “it focuses on the past, on what has already occurred—not on the infinite variety of opportunities that can happen in the future. As such, feedback can be limited and static, as opposed to expansive and dynamic” (Goldsmith, 2002). In response to the many limitations he identifies in the feedback process, he has developed an alternative: feedforward. In this Shared Practice, you will have the opportunity to experiment with the feedforward method and examine its potential effectiveness.
Then think about your goals and consider three questions:
Finally, consider the benefits, implications, or consequences to stopping, starting, or changing the behaviors you thought about.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a description of one behavior that you would like to change in your professional life -one that significantly impacts how you manage or relate to others—and briefly describe this behavior in your post.
Discussion 2: Providing Effective Feedback
Although managers should provide feedback informally on a regular basis, many organizations rely on a formal review process as well. Often conducted annually, these formal reviews allow for both the employee and the manager to discuss past achievements and set goals for honing or improving skills.
For this week’s Discussion Question, reflect on a formal review that you have received, and consider the impact the review had on your motivation. Consider the information you received during the review, whether it was useful or a surprise to you, and any positive or negative aspects of the experience.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a response that addresses the following:
Discussion 3: Shared Practice: Forming a Team and Selecting the Members
Many organizations rely on the belief that teams automatically add value by being more creative and productive than the aggregated efforts of individuals. However, J. Richard Hackman asserts that leaders cannot always depend on teams to magically come together, work well together, and perform above and beyond the aggregate efforts of individuals. Instead, Hackman argues teams more frequently underperform than excel. This occurs when leadership does not clearly define the team in terms of membership, the team does not have a clear purpose for being together, unstructured in terms of tasks and norms, or reward structure in place does not facilitate teamwork (Coutu, 2009).
Thus, for teams to be successful, managers have to build teams conscientiously and deliberately. For this Shared Practice, place yourself in the role of the manager who has to assemble a team to work on an important project. Managers need to carefully consider the need and types of resources for the team, the characteristics of the team members and the behaviors that lead to productive teams.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a response based on your own experience, observations, and this week’s content that addresses the following:
Describe three characteristics/behaviors of individual team members that you think are most important for establishing a collaborative team environment. Explain why you selected these characteristics/behaviors, how they contributes to a functioning team, and provide an example of each, based on your experience or your readings this week.
Describe three characteristics/behaviors of individual team members that you think are most likely to lead to team dysfunction or lack of collaboration. Explain why you selected these characteristics/behaviors and provide an example of each based on your experience or your readings this week. Include suggestions on how to mitigate or manage the impact of these characteristics/behaviors on the functioning of the team.
As a manager, explain what you would do specifically to create an environment in which teams are more likely to be productive and successful. Include steps you would take, as a manager, to monitor how well the team is functioning and how your strategies are impacting the team productivity and success?
