Where there is communication, there is feedback. If we need to reach agreement on something in the workplace, feedback is essential. But not everyone knows how to give feedback to be more effective. In order to make better use of feedback, we need to understand two concepts: feedback effects and feedback loops.
feedback effect
Feedback effect refers to the evaluation of the results of activities. Feedback can strengthen motivation for activities and promote work.
Feedback effects are especially important at work. The company's year-end performance report is over, and you think your performance is remarkable. But that's just what you think. The reality may be different than you think. Generally speaking, the boss may have the following three types of feedback:
Level zero feedback: The boss says nothing, not even a word of affirmation or praise.
Level 1 Feedback: Simply offering praise or criticism, such as: Great, great.
Second level feedback: not only sincerely praises you, but also gives detailed suggestions for improvement.
The third type of feedback has the best effect, which not only gives a definite answer, but also provides new information.
Psychologist Brown conducted further research on the feedback effect through experiments. The results show that different feedback subjects and methods have different promotion effects on learning and work. Generally speaking, active feedback by oneself is better than feedback from others. The effect of feedback can be applied to various life scenarios. Whether a person is harmonious at work and at home is related to feedback.
No one likes to be uninformed, and no one likes to have no feedback. Let me give you an example that happened recently
Once the leader received a bug feedback from his friend, and then @the project leader in the group. The person in charge tested it and confirmed that the problem did exist, and then replied: "This problem does exist."
Then, the leader asked, do you think this is the answer I want? In my opinion, the boss wants second-level feedback, but the person in charge gives first-level feedback.
How can I give myself second-level feedback? My experience is that when giving feedback, think about whether the feedback contains incremental information. If the leader has tested it, then the project leader's reply will have no incremental information. If we dig deeper, the answer that leaders want to see more is whether to do this problem, and if so, how to do it? These are incremental information.
A mental model of feedback: the feedback loop
What is a feedback loop? A feedback loop refers to a closed loop formed by two or more causal chains connected end to end.
There are only two types of feedback loops, one is positive feedback loop and negative feedback loop. Positive feedback refers to self-reinforcing behavior. The entire loop can enhance the output, lead to the growth or death of things, and it is an accelerated feedback loop. For example, the more articles I write on my official account, the more fans will pay attention to me. The more fans I have, the more incentives I have. The more incentives I have, the more articles I write. This is a positive feedback. For another example, two people have a conflict. Passer-by A scolds passer-by B, and passer-by B responds. He scolded passerby A, and then added another sentence. After a few back and forth, the two people started fighting. This was also an example of positive feedback, but the effect it brought was a negative one.
Positive feedback does not mean positive and beneficial, but means it can strengthen the effect. The effect may be good or bad. In addition to the term positive feedback, similar concepts include "positive feedback loop" and "enhancement loop" , “reinforcing loops” and so on.
Negative feedback is exactly the opposite of positive feedback. It refers to a loop that has self-convergent behavior, and the entire loop can reduce output and maintain the stability of things. For example, the temperature regulation system of the human body is a negative feedback loop. If the body temperature is too low, the brain will instruct the muscles. Shaking accelerates blood circulation, thus stimulating a rise in temperature. If the temperature in the body is too high, it will cause you to sweat to lower your body temperature. Similarly, nature is also a negative feedback loop, and only in a relatively stable environment for a long time can life develop. If positive feedback is like a runaway wild horse, negative feedback is like the reins that hold the horse, preventing it from running too far. Similarly, in addition to the term negative feedback, similar concepts include "regulating loop" and "balance." loop”, “negative feedback loop”, etc.
The feedback loop thinking model tells us that nothing exists alone, and everything is interconnected. Realistic, complex problems are best described in terms of networks of interconnected feedback loops. For example, when a product manager has just entered an industry, the first thing to do is to sort out the industry chain. Although the industry chain is only part of the feedback loop, it can already help the product manager have an overall understanding of the entire industry. In the process of sorting out the loops, in addition to drawing the relationship chain, another point is to determine the loop type.
Understanding the feedback effect can make our communication more efficient and project management smoother. (Retelling is feedback, review is also feedback)
Understanding the feedback loop allows us to build our own enhancement loop earlier, and only by building the enhancement loop well will our career become smoother and smoother.