How to establish a climate that encourages feedback
At its most basic level, ‘organizational climate’ refers to staff perceptions of their work environment. It is much more than simply a summary of employee likes and dislikes; it relates to how things are done (‘culture’ is generally considered as why things are done). Establishing a climate that encourages feedback is a key leadership and management responsibility, and knowing what employees and customers really think of the organization and everyday organizational life is essential. Here’s how to set-up a climate that is conducive to receiving feedback.
1. Look for it.
If you haven’t done so already, get rid of the mentality that ‘no news is good news’. In fact, if you’re not receiving feedback of any kind, that could be an indicator that all is not well. Employees and customers need to know that their contributions and custom are valued. And you need to create a climate in which you hear what’s going well and what’s in need of attention. Management By Walking Around (MBWA) popularized by Tom Peters back in the days of In Search of Excellence (and used so effectively hundreds of years earlier by Josiah Wedgwood) continues to be an invaluable way of eliciting feedback from everyone in the organization.
2. Build it.
The adage: ‘Employees can’t treat customers any better than they (the employees) are treated’ should be taken into account at all times. Customer service should start with your employees. And to enable that service, you need to listen and respond to your key customers. When Chester Barnard wrote The Functions of the Executive in which he promoted organizations as social places (‘a system of cooperation of human activity’) rather than the mechanistic and scientific descriptions previously leveled, his view was most unpopular. Today, however, it is accepted that organizations play an important social function in people’s lives. And performance and productivity can be enhanced by catering for employees’ social needs.
3. Do as you say.
Humans have an inbuilt ability to detect congruence (and incongruence) relating to what people say and do. Research has shown that congruence between saying and doing (espousal and practice, if you prefer) is more important than others agreeing with the position you take or argue.
