Is Feedback Enough?

The organisations of yesterday with hierarchical, top-down, command-and-control structures where decisions were made at the top and cascaded down are rapidly giving way to increasingly complex, decentralised, “agile” and flexible organisations.

We have 5 generations simultaneously in the workplace for the first time in modern history. Each generation sees work in a different way.

Employees now have more autonomy than ever and are encouraged to create solutions rather than simply following a process. Organisations want team members to be empowered and innovative – their success depends on this.

The role of the manager has changed - now required to be across many different projects and streams of work, they need to remove barriers, facilitate matrix team structures, interpersonal challenges and much more.  So how can managers bring out the best in their team members?

To achieve individual, team and organisational performance managers often use feedback –a one-way process from manager to team member, often provided after the fact. It is often used to highlight gaps in performance and often not something that either party looks forward to. Research (Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996) shows that feedback only achieves improved performance 30% of the time.

While providing constructive and positive feedback is a critical skill for managers, it aims to build capability by responding to something which has happened in the past.

Coaching on the other hand has a future focus, to help team members enhance their skills and achieve individual, team and organisational goals. As a coach the conversation becomes two-way and can happen in real time. It doesn’t have to a pre-organised monthly 1:1, rather coaching can happen at any time and any place.

Coaching is a skill that managers can use in a variety of situations – e.g. in conjunction with feedback, discussing career goals, problem-solving. In our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world the manager as a coach has become increasingly important. It encourages team members to discover and learn, driving performance in a way that feedback alone can’t.

Often coaching is seen as consulting or simply providing answers. Real coaching however encourages the team member to explore, to learn and find an appropriate solution. For the manager it’s about understanding what it is to coach and how to encourage team members in everyday interactions creating new and lasting behaviours.

The combination of coaching and feedback undoubtedly helps managers to achieve results. When done well, it can improve also improve employee engagement. After all who doesn’t want to be a part of achieving something rather than simply being told what to do?

Are you a manager wanting to develop your coaching skills?  Email me at cathyt@latentcapability.com.au to talk further.

#coaching #feedback #leadership #management