{"id":714,"date":"2016-10-25T08:35:30","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T07:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.workstars.com\/recognition-and-engagement-blog\/?p=714"},"modified":"2019-07-04T10:38:07","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T09:38:07","slug":"research-value-positive-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.workstars.com\/recognition-and-engagement-blog\/2016\/10\/25\/research-value-positive-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"Research highlights the value of positive feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just how valuable is positive feedback<\/strong>? Well, how would you feel if you could hear your own eulogy while you were still alive? That might sound like a really strange question to ask – but it\u2019s one of the questions raised in this article<\/a> by Dan Cable, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School.<\/p>\n

The reason he\u2019s asking it is to illustrate one of the main points from the research that he\u2019s been carrying out alongside a team from Harvard Business School. The core questions: How you can activate the very best version of you? And what happens when you do?<\/p>\n

And the reason he\u2019s talking about eulogies is to make the point that they\u2019re always given by the people who matter to you. Those people would usually talk about the very best version of you. If you heard what they had to say, the chances are you might feel proud as you realise the impact you\u2019ve made on them as well as profound gratitude that they\u2019ve taken the time to say it.<\/p>\n

Yet how good are we at saying this kind of stuff while people are still around to hear it? We\u2019re getting better at it perhaps – but we\u2019re still not great.<\/p>\n

But as Cable et al\u2019s research is emphasising, saying these kinds of things creates a positive spiral. It activates an individual\u2019s best \u2018self-concept\u2019. In other words, it gets them reflecting on what they\u2019re capable of when they\u2019re at their best. They think about who they are and what they\u2019re doing when someone else identifies those specific instances. The individual realises the positive impact they can have on others.<\/p>\n

Remember we\u2019re talking about highlighting actual instances of behaviour. That\u2019s really important because it means that the memories evoked are vivid and personal. They create powerful emotional responses. And that puts in motion a shift in self-knowledge which can lead to longer term changes. Not only in terms of performance in the workplace either; this research examines and contributes to the growing body of evidence which reveals this kind of self-activation can improve people\u2019s emotions, physiology, cognitive functioning and relationships. They become more resilient to stress and more resistant to disease and burnout. Creative problem-solving improves. Stronger long-term relationships form with their employers.<\/p>\n

Transforming the nature of performance management to focus on positive feedback<\/h3>\n

For a long time, performance management systems haven\u2019t concentrated on what employees do when they\u2019re at their best. The emphasis has usually been more negative: what are your weaknesses? What are your development needs? The exact words may vary but all too often it\u2019s been about the need to do better.<\/p>\n

But this article reflects the fact that people naturally improve when feedback is focusing on their strengths rather than their limitations – positive feedback, not negative. Note that the positive changes were greater when they were \u2018socially reflected\u2019 \u2013 in other words, highlighted by someone else.<\/p>\n

Organisations need to find ways to tell their employees when they\u2019re at their best and highlight the instances when they\u2019re making their best impact. It has the potential to increase engagement and performance, encouraging employees to be authentic to themselves while consistently reaching their true potential. Because businesses waste potential when they don\u2019t talk about the positive impact people make. We need to use positive conversations to inspire instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just how valuable is positive feedback? Well, how would you feel if you could hear your own eulogy while you were still…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[28,24,13,15,23],"class_list":["post-714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engagement","tag-engagement","tag-managers","tag-motivation","tag-recognition","tag-social-recognition"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nResearch highlights the value of positive feedback | Workstars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Performance management systems usually focus on how staff can improve. 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