Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CHAPTER-VI
FEEDBACK LOOP
“Listen to the voice of others and your voice will more likely get listened to”
-- Constance Chuks Friday
6.0 Introduction
the sender to assure himself that his communication has been thoroughly
understood by the receiver. All the way through a communication, he must use a
control that while ensure the degree of meaning which he has placed on his words
has given his response to the sender‘s message. On the other hand, the
communicator must know how well the message has been received by the
receiver, understood, interpreted and acted upon. Feedback helps to determine this
In a fast emerging industrial set up, all the students should be aware with
the effective ways and means to communicate with others. In this regard, the role
from the various studies, it is understood that feedback is the inexpensive, most
influential, yet, most used tool by the management to execute proper working.
a channel to help out student and other people to know how they perceive their
performance.
efficiency. People like to feel occupied and recognized with their organisation.
organisations that the most effectual leaders are good recipients , they realise and
understand the impact that their performance has on others .2 However, this study
a map or indications. Though we may have a huge sense of direction but this may
they rely upon events rather than exact feedback to evaluate their performance and
its impact.
receivers. Self understanding and awareness provide a good quality platform but
feedback from others updates us in such a way that enhances our self knowledge.
We no more require to waste energy on explanation on our behaviour and even the
people do not waste energy make an effort to expect and calculate our behaviour.
communication and is used for evaluation and review, and to emend the message
in the light of response. Effective managers have reliable feedback and they
Leland Brown remarks that, all other things, being equal, the manager who
does not allow feedback will be less effective than the manager who receives
takes into account needs if both the sender and the receiver.3 Feedback or response
enables the source to know whether or not the message has been received and
interpreted correctly. Feedback can cause the original source to modify future
communication according to the way in which the source perceives the reaction of
the receiver.
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Intention
making the employees a more valuable asset. It is not a personal attack and
should not compromise the individual‘s feeling of self worth or image. Rather,
Timely
It is rightly said the sooner, the better. There has been plenty of research
into how long after the learning event it takes for the effects of feedback to be
significantly eroded. Ideally feedback should be received within a day or two, and
personality. Global ways of compiling and distributing feedback can reduce the
extent of ownership which students take over the feedback they receive, even
when the quality and amount of feedback is increased. Each student is still a
person.
Empowering
need to make sure it doesn't dampen learning down. This is easier to ensure when
feedback is positive of course, but the receiver need to look carefully at how best
receiver can make critical feedback equally empowering to learners. One must
not forget that often feedback is given and received in a system where power is
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loaded towards the provider of the feedback rather than the recipient, for example
Specificity
information, so that they know what must be done to correct the situation.
Ineffective feedback is general and leaves questions in the recipient‘s mind. For
example, telling an employee that he or she is doing a poor job is too general and
will leave the recipient frustrated in seeking ways to correct the problems.
Description
evaluative. It tells the employee what he or she has done in objective terms, rather
Usefulness
performance. It serves no purpose tolerate employees for their lack of skill if they
do not have the ability or training to perform properly. Thus, the guidelines are
that, if it is not something the employee can correct, it is not worth mentioning.
Readiness
it. When feedback is imposed or forced upon employees, it is much less effective.
Clarity
way was of checking this is to ask the recipient to restate the major points of
Validity
course, when the information is incorrect, the employees will feel that the
divulge employee‘s talents and to utilize them is the primary aim of the
employees well secret talents and to make maximum use of them for the
needed for more than just an exchange of information. Hanson 5 and Weedall6
The feedback system involves different ways to achieve feedback both at the
from the side of the feedback sender, feedback content, and of the functional
based feedback system favours the growth and expansion of the organisation as a
whole.
work is discussed and that focus on the primary objectives of future work. The
appraisal and development are often connected. One of the components of the
and talents can only expand in the atmosphere of impartial rules where ―you
must‖ and ―you cannot‖ are as imperative as ―I want or I don‘t want‖. The
feedback on their effort and not how they can be even more capable and valuable
professional purposes forms the core team that follows targeted goals. Setting a
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clear target and to follow it can be more essential for the team than securing union
inside the group. In this circumstances, where specific work are tricky to set and
performance management.
skill alone if operated consistently and competently transforms both people and
businesses, it really is a gift to both receive and give. 9 Two way communications
people to do their best. Accepting and carrying corrections in messages will create
interest and responsibility, recognition in their jobs. Feedback is the means of sub-
encouragement for what they are doing. Management cannot ignore or eliminate
the feedback, for, it must exist for effective communication in spite of the channel.
importance, and direct efforts to use it for positive good. Feedback is also one of
importance and use of feedback. Most problems with feedback are caused by
not apparent.10
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receiver has accepted or rejected the message. The reaction of the receiver of the
understand immediate reaction which would help in a great way in the decision-
making process. The formal channel would not serve as an effective feedback
So that he can know the reaction of the receiver. It ensures that the receiver has
received the message and understood in the same sense as the sender meant for.
properly understood the message, in which the superior has to listen, answer,
interpret and amend the message. Interface and interaction are possible in
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communication.
one or more persons and the conscious and unconscious perception of such
action.11 Perhaps one of the most important factors in this network is feedback
which is vital if the originators and receiver are to secure some level of
the entire communication problem is the following: the sender, to be certain that
his message will be accepted by the receiver, must be prepared to let the receiver
influence him. He must even be prepared to let the receiver alter or modify the
message in ways that make it more acceptable to the receiver. Otherwise, it may
not be understood or it may not be accepted, or it may simply be given lip service
and ignored.
Table-1
2 Specific General
3 Descriptive Evaluative
4 Usefull Inappropriate
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5 Timely Untimely
feedback
8 Valid Inaccurate
Positive Feedback
accepting the reality. The recipient also does the same thing.
Negative Feedback
In the case of negative feedback, there is always some resistance and some
Managers show resistance because they want to hear always only good news and
resist bad and unpleasant news. In some cases, managers accept negative
feedback. Some research studies indicate that they may accept negative feedback
when they come from a person with high credibility and status. 13 S.P.Robbins
writes thus, negative feedback, i.e., subjective can be a meaningful tool for
earned the respect of their employees. From less experienced managers, those in
the lower ranks of the organization and whose reputation has not yet been
questions about any points of view that are in doubt to them. Both managers and
subordinates directly and personally are involved in the process. Emotions, values,
attitudes, perception etc., may lead people to interpret the message in different
ways. This is the reasons for faulty communication. Multiple meanings for
different words cause misunderstanding. For a word ‗fast‘, there are over ten
and perception impact of the message. Receiver of the message or the listener in
he has been specific enough and the words he has used mean the same thing to the
listener. Feedback also helps both the parties in the communication, the sender or
speaker; make his message clearer, the listener to interpret the message more
accurately.
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Robert.J. Mockler describes that in written communication, there is not the same
opportunity for instant feedback; a manager must find a way to anticipate the
The effect of feedback should not be ignored. Many people have proved in their
research work some effects of feedback. Hellriegel and Slocum have identified
The actions of the sender affect the reactions of the receiver. The
Feedback is the source by which mentors enable students to ‗close the gap‘
in order to improve their learning techniques and their performances. For response
to be effective, students need to know how to take act on it. All teachers provide
feedback to children, which can either be oral, written, or in more practical subject
necessary to introduce it and to derive the benefits from feedback. As such, the
Gamble and Exxon and others, in their training programmes, to improve feedback,
have given some guidelines. The guidelines are briefly discussed under:
Chart No-1
Effective Feedback
Interacting with
Involving Students Students
in Feedback
Refining
Briefing and Training of
Traditional
Students
feedback
Effective feedback
among the Students
Plugging
Re-Shapping Curicula
gaps in
and assesment
feedback
New Ways
Feedback Rich
of Giving
Feedback Assignments
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Goal-Referenced
achieve the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions.
Farr et al. (1993) argued that the study of goal orientation has great significance
for industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology because of its implications for
research in areas such as goal setting, performance feedback, and training. Most
during training. They found that mastery orientation was positively related to
Meta cognitive activity of the learner, which in turn was significantly related to
also had direct effects on self-efficacy. Mastery orientation was positively related
efficacy. This set of findings is important because self-efficacy then had a direct
Any useful feedback system involves not only a clear goal, but transparent
and tangible results related to the goal. The transparency of feedback becomes
obtained, but the performers do not obtain it – either because they don‘t look for it
or because they are too busy performing to see it. We have all seen how new
teachers are sometimes so busy concentrating on ―teaching‖ that they fail to notice
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that few students are attending or learning. Similarly in sports: the tennis player or
Consistent
adjust their performance successfully if the information fed back to them is stable,
same page about what high-quality work is. Teachers need to look at student work
together, becoming more consistent over time and formalizing their judgments in
have to be trained to be consistent the same way we train teachers, using the same
Help
interpreting and to act accordingly. So feedback should help the receiver. Thus,
Descriptive
More Specific
To Hear
should be well timed. Feedback should not overwhelm the receiver. It involves in
understanding the capacity of the receiver to receive feedback load at one time.
According to S.P. Robbins, there are six specific suggestions for making
effective feedback.15
one must first know the exact nature of the problem. It is important to be as
specific as possible. If a sender have any doubt as to whether the receiver has
understand the specific nature of the problem, then the sender need to make more
explanation even more specific. One should keep in mind that it is a seeking
C.R. Miller says that feedback, particularly the negative feedback, should
but not personal. Telling people that they are useless, idiots, inefficient,
incompetent etc. are not good for the supervisors, as they are unproductive, and
the subordinates may not cooperate. Even the criticism should be reasonable and
feedback will be effective when it helps in bringing about the desired change.
S.P.Robbins says that making feedback prompt merely for promptness, sake can
be backfiring, if you have insufficient information you may angry, or if you are
delayed‖.
Ensure Understanding
effective communication.
Control
something about.
after the sender have delivered the feedback. Allow the other person sufficient
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time to implement the agreed actions. Should they fail to implement the agreed
procedures; or, escalate the matter to a higher authority. The appropriate choice is
basis.
and that adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output
and the desired output. The business dictionary defines that channel or pathway
formed by an 'effect' returning to its ‗cause,' and generating either more or less of
the message and the receiver involves in feedback to the sender. This completes
the communication circuit. It satisfies process elements like message flow from
the sender to the receiver and back to the sender. Douglas G. Curley calls this two
that involves more than one person. Nobody communicates to a void or wilds.
feedback. All communications are correlated to some or the other context. In any
information and at the other end is response from the receiver. Sender receives a
stimulus to send a message across. The stimulus may be exterior or interior. There
may be urge from an outside source which is called external stimulus. The internal
stimulus may be an urge from inside the person to send across a message or
information. He converts the message in the form of code. This process is called
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encoding. The sender is also known as the encoder. He chooses the suitable verbal
or non-verbal signs, symbols or language and puts the message into that code.
Then the encoder transmits the coded note through proper medium. The sender or
encoder chooses the appropriate medium based on several factors such as the
receiver, the message, and its urgency or otherwise. He may select a non-verbal
signal, body language or verbal speech, writing or any other accessible medium to
transmit the encoded message. The message in turn is transmitted to the receiver.
The receiver decodes the message as receiver may be said decoder and then
receiver perceives it. Unless the receiver is aware of the code and is expert in
using the medium, he cannot decode it. Misinterpretation may occur even if there
is intrusion in the medium. The receiver‘s response or reaction is the feedback that
country and culture generally and the individual‘s mindset and attitude
particularly. Environment and the stimuli, external or internal determine the actual
process of communication.
transmits it across to the receiver through an appropriate medium. This act of the
sender is conditioned by his mental attitude, his experience and his perception of
all the related factors. The receiver, based on his experience, attitude and
perception of all related factors decodes the message, interprets it and reacts or
responds to it. We should remember that the sender and the receiver should share
a symbol that will carry the same meaning for both. If they do not,
bimonthly report to him, he may expect a report every fortnight. But the
subordinate may think that he has to send a report once in two months. Bimonthly
means both, twice in a month or once in two months. Misunderstanding has arisen
because the word ‗bimonthly‘ means two different things to the boss and the
subordinate, both of which are correct. The code used in this context is the English
word‘ bimonthly‘. The code stands for two concepts and its use has led to the
misunderstanding. The boss would have said ‗a fortnightly‘ report or reports twice
a month or the employee could have got the message reconfirmed by a specific
question. That is why the sender and the receiver should share the code or symbol
with clarity. The choice of the symbol for encoding and the medium of
communication takes place if all the parameters like the encoder, his mental
attitude, capacity to encode and transmit, the medium, the decoder/and his
capacity to decode that specific message are equal to the demands of the
communication exercise.
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sender must carefully choose a message that he wants to send and its intention .He
must take into consideration the context of his communication and the feelings of
the receiver. Based on this aspect, the sender should select the means and the
medium to transmit the message. The receiver should be familiar with the signs
and symbols and be capable to access the medium of transmission as the sender
cannot write a letter to an illiterate. The choice of the medium is also based on the
prefer the oral medium. One cannot manage to write long memos or letters to a
of two way communications and provide root of understanding in regards with the
is highlighted as under:
necessary. Sender can only give explanation for the feelings and thoughts of the
receiver only when feedback is provided. Thus, feedback ensures the origin of
when the message is correctly sent and can be understood. This decides the
to the sender regarding the message sent by him. This facilitates to improve the
communication problem.
views, ideas and opinion between sender and the receiver and then sender decides
communications is effective and helps students, lower level employees, who can
more people, group or organization. All concerned areas can share the work-in-
progress through the means of feedback. This supports for the successful
Conclusion
surroundings free from fear. This is only possible when an individual is prepared
to confess to the other person as well as their colleagues that they are uncertain of
the meaning or unambiguous on the act required. Overall, this declaration can be
gained only when a person is ready for an advice or opinion on the desirability or
they stand with people and they know where they should be with others in an
this feeding back sound simple, but in fact is incredibility difficult and is the root
Works Cited
1.
The Importance of Feedback, Why Is Feedback Important?,
http://www.fullcirclefeedback.com.au/resources/360-degree-feedback/360-
power-of/
2.
ibid
3.
Wendy Greer and Success Coach (2011): Intention and Feedback,
learningstrategies.com/blog/index.php/archives/1719, accessed on 10 th
June 2014
4.
Thomas C. Head and Peter F. Sorensen (2000): Global Organization
USA, p.43
5.
Hanson, M. (2001): Institutional Theory and Educational Change,
6.
Weedall, M. (2004): A case study of the fidelity approach in an
7.
Heany, L (2004): Leading Professional Development: A Case Study. The
8.
Hinton, T. A. (2004). Four Essential Principles for Education Success. The
Heritage Foundation
9.
Annie Richardson (2012): Feedback should always be a two-way process,
June 2014
10.
ibid
11.
Norman B. Sigband, Sigband and Arthur H. Bell (1994): Communication
http://onlinebusinesscourses.us/ Lesson
Psychology, p.233
15.
Aderson J (1972): Giving and Receiving Feedback, Management and