Feedback(feedback) - information that an employee receives about how the manager perceives and evaluates his actions.

Why feedback is needed:

1. With its help, the manager manages the activities of his subordinates, that is, he encourages the desired behavior and limits the unwanted. By praising an employee, he thereby confirms the correctness of his actions, compliance with the plan, and the ideas of the manager. If it is necessary to change the actions of a subordinate, the manager gives corrective feedback. This achieves the main thing - ensuring the effectiveness of the subordinate’s actions.
2. Feedback performs a teaching function. It allows the employee to find out what is expected of him, what are the criteria for evaluating his work, and how much his actions correspond to the correct technology for performing the work.
3. It performs a motivating function. The manager praises, encourages the employee and recognizes his achievements, thereby creating motivation for further work. With the help of corrective feedback, the manager creates a desire to correct the situation.
4. Providing detailed feedback is a manifestation of attention to the employee on the part of the manager, which has a beneficial effect on the relationship between people working together.

Thus, feedback is the most important component of such management processes as control, mentoring, motivation, and has the most powerful potential as a tool of managerial influence. For this potential to be realized, the following conditions must be met. Feedback should be:

1. Specific. The manager should not generalize and make global conclusions like: "You're always late for work", better to say . In feedback it is necessary to operate with specific facts, and not general judgments.
2. About actions, not about personality. Acceptable statement "You're 15 minutes late today", but not "you are an undisciplined person". An action can be corrected, but a character cannot be corrected. Therefore, a person is ready to accept information about the action, but is not ready to agree that he is some kind of different person, and will defend himself and argue.
3. Timely. Feedback should be given immediately after the behavior you want to encourage or change. This is also called the “hot stove rule” (if you touch it, the burn occurs immediately, not later).
4. Developmental. One of the tasks of feedback is to develop an employee’s ability to self-analyze, independently highlight his successes and shortcomings, and correctly search for their causes. To do this, the manager uses open ones, helping the subordinate himself to formulate the correct conclusions about his work. Conclusions drawn independently are accepted and remembered much better than those said by another person.
5. Adapted. All people are different in their level of sensitivity to criticism and readiness for self-development. The manager needs to adapt his feedback to the level of understanding of his subordinates: do not give a lot of corrective information at once if the person is able to understand and implement only part of it.

There are several models for structuring feedback, of which the most commonly used are the following:

1. "Sandwich Rule" Feedback is provided according to the structure “Positive - Corrective - Positive”. Such a structure is necessary for those employees who may not be emotionally ready to accept the need to adjust their actions. To prevent the employee from taking a defensive position in communication with the manager, feedback begins and ends with positive aspects in his activities (achievements, successes, strengths).

...In one of the companies, the supervisor had a tough, impartial conversation with a sales representative about the unconvincing dynamics of fulfilling planned tasks. At the end of the conversation, suddenly remembering the “sandwich rule,” the supervisor lowered his voice and said: “Well, in general, you’re great, customers at retail outlets speak well of you. Go to work". To which the sales representative, leaving, plaintively remarked: “Uncle Fyodor, your sandwich is somehow wrong...”

1. The BOFF model (Behaviour – Outcome – Feelings – Future), in the Russian version of the BCBB (Behaviour – Result – Feelings – Future). First, the manager describes the employee's behavior and the result to which this behavior led. Further, he enhances the emotional impact by mentioning the feelings that he (or the employee’s colleagues, the employee himself, other persons) feel about this. The feedback ends with a description of the desired behavior that the employee must demonstrate in the future. The model is used if the manager has doubts that regular feedback will be effective for a given employee.
2. SOR model (Standard – Observation – Result, Standard – Observation – Result). Designed to orient the employee to the correct technology of action. First, the manager reminds the employee of the existing actions in the company, then discusses with the employee his observations about his behavior, reaches the employee’s understanding of the results that his behavior can lead to, and achieves the employee’s willingness to comply in the future.

In addition to the ability to provide feedback, you also need to learn yourself and teach your subordinates to accept it correctly. To do this, it is important to follow several rules:

1. When receiving feedback, do not make excuses and avoid being defensive.
2. Ask questions for clarity, ask for examples of behavior, summarize the information received, and get confirmation that you understood it correctly.
3. Thank you for your feedback.
4. Make an action plan on what and how you can improve.

In the FMCG field, much attention has traditionally been paid to managers’ compliance with the rules for providing and receiving feedback, which can be enshrined in a number of other processes. For example, one of the functions of a meeting is summing up, i.e. providing feedback to the team, which should also be carried out taking into account the rules described above. This means that during the meeting he must operate with specific, relevant figures and facts (the rules of “specificity”, “timeliness”), start with the positive and achievements of the team (the “sandwich” rule), and focus on what needs to be improved today ( “adaptability” rule). At the same time, he should never “criticize” individual subordinates in the presence of others, that is, he must praise in public and criticize one by one.

Back forward

Attention! Slide previews are for informational purposes only and may not represent all the features of the presentation. If you are interested in this work, please download the full version.

Lesson objectives: initial familiarization, development and awareness of theoretical models and concepts, identification and analysis of significant and stable connections and relationships between objects and processes, analyze the system of relationships in living nature and technical systems from a management perspective, identify direct and feedback mechanisms in simple situations .

During the classes

Presentation

Computer science is a field of human activity associated with the processes of converting information using computers and their interaction with the application environment.

There is often confusion between the concepts of “computer science” and “cybernetics”. Let's try to explain their similarities and differences.

The main concept laid down by N. Wiener in cybernetics is associated with the development of the theory of control of complex dynamic systems in various fields of human activity. Cybernetics exists regardless of the presence or absence of computers.

Cybernetics is the science of general principles of control in various systems: technical, biological, social, etc.

Computer science deals with the study of the processes of transformation and creation of new information more broadly, practically without solving the problem of managing various objects, like cybernetics. Therefore, one may get the impression that computer science is a more capacious discipline than cybernetics. However, on the other hand, computer science does not deal with solving problems not related to the use of computer technology, which undoubtedly narrows its seemingly general nature. It is not possible to draw a clear boundary between these two disciplines due to its blurriness and uncertainty, although there is a fairly widespread opinion that computer science is one of the areas of cybernetics.

Informatics appeared thanks to the development of computer technology, is based on it and is completely unthinkable without it. Cybernetics, on the other hand, develops on its own, building various models for controlling objects, although it very actively uses all the achievements of computer technology. Cybernetics and computer science, outwardly very similar disciplines, differ most likely in their emphasis:

• in computer science – on the properties of information and hardware and software for processing it;
• in cybernetics - on the development of concepts and construction of models of objects using, in particular, the information approach.

The vital activity of any organism or the normal functioning of a technical device is associated with control processes. Management processes include receiving, storing, transforming and transmitting information.

In everyday life we ​​encounter management processes very often:

• the pilot controls the plane, and an automatic device – autopilot – helps him in this;
• the director and his deputies manage production, and the teacher manages the education of schoolchildren;
• the processor ensures the synchronous operation of all computer nodes, each of its external devices is controlled by a special controller;
• Without a conductor, a large orchestra cannot perform a piece of music in harmony
• A hockey or basketball team must have one or more coaches who organize the preparation of athletes for competitions.

Management is the purposeful interaction of objects, some of which are managers, and others are managed. Models that describe information management processes in complex systems are called information models of management processes. In any control process, there is always an interaction between two objects - the manager and the controlled, which are connected by direct (Figure 1) and feedback channels (Figure 2). Control signals are transmitted via the direct communication channel, and information about the state of the controlled object is transmitted via the feedback channel.

Systems studied in cybernetics can be very complex, including many interacting objects. However, to understand the basic concepts of the theory, you can get by with the simplest of such systems, which contains only two objects - the manager and the executive (managed). An example would be, for example, a system consisting of a traffic light and a car (open-loop), a policeman and a car (closed-loop).

In the simplest case, the control object sends its commands to the executive object, without taking into account its state. In this case, impacts are transmitted only in one direction, such a system is called open.

Open-loop systems are all kinds of information boards at train stations and airports that control the movements of passengers. Modern programmable household appliances can also be included in the class of systems under consideration.

As a rule, the described control scheme is not very effective and works normally only until extreme conditions arise. Thus, with large traffic flows, traffic jams occur, additional information desks have to be opened at airports and train stations, overheating can occur in a microwave oven if the program is incorrect, etc. etc.

More advanced management systems monitor the performance of the managed system. In such systems, another information flow additionally appears - from the control object to the control system; it is usually called feedback. It is through the feedback channel that information is transmitted about the state of the object and the degree of achievement (or, conversely, failure to achieve) the control goal.

In the case when the control object receives information about the real position of the controlled object via the feedback channel and makes the necessary movements via the direct control channel, the control system is called closed.

The main principle of control in a closed system is the issuance of control commands depending on the received feedback signals. In such a system, the control object seeks to compensate for any deviation of the controlled object from the state provided for by the control goals.

Feedback, in which the control signal seeks to reduce (compensate) the deviation from a certain maintained value, is usually called negative; if increased, it is called positive.

Depending on the degree of human participation in the management process, control systems are divided into three classes:

• automatic,
• non-automatic,
• automated.

In automatic control systems, all processes associated with obtaining information about the state of the controlled object, processing this information, generating control signals, etc., are carried out automatically in accordance with the closed control circuit shown in Figure 2. Such systems do not require direct human participation. Automatic control systems are used on space satellites, in industries hazardous to human health, in the weaving and foundry industries, in bakeries, in continuous production, for example, in the manufacture of microcircuits, etc.

In non-automatic control systems, a person himself assesses the state of the control object and, based on this assessment, acts on it. You encounter such systems all the time at school and at home. The conductor directs the orchestra performing a piece of music. The teacher in the lesson manages the class during the learning process.

In automated control systems, the collection and processing of information necessary to develop control actions is carried out automatically, with the help of equipment and computer technology, and control decisions are made by a person. For example, a worker of a metal-cutting machine installs and turns it on, the rest of the processes are performed automatically. An automated system for selling railway or airline tickets, discounted metro tickets operates under the control of a person who requests the necessary information from the computer and, based on it, makes a decision on the sale.

Thematic dictation.

1. Who, where and when proclaimed the birth of a new science related to the development of management theory?
2. What is management?
3. Draw a diagram of the control process without feedback, give examples.
4. Draw a diagram of the feedback control process and give examples.
5. What is feedback?
6. Types of feedback.
7. List three classes of management processes.

Homework: Textbook for 9th grade. Computer science and ICT (basic course). Author Semakin I.G. § 25, 26.

Proper feedback helps you learn from mistakes, changes behavior, and promotes professional growth. The SBI model will help you understand effective feedback.

Feedback is the information you receive in response to actions you take towards other people.

This is the feedback: You failed the project. The manager reprimanded you and cut off your bonus.
This is not feedback: You failed the project. The next day, the Bitcoin rate collapsed.

For feedback to be useful, it must meet performance criteria.

Attached to behavior. Behavior, unlike a person's thoughts or feelings, is observable. You can talk about the behavior and ask the person to change the behavior while remaining objective.

Promote development. If feedback helps a person improve, he will be grateful, even if it is criticism.

Communicate in person. Public criticism evokes strong unpleasant emotions. The employee will harbor a grudge, sabotage the work, or leave the project.

Do not carry assessments. Value judgments - “good”, “bad”, “worthy”, “moral” - are difficult to transform into actions; it is not clear what needs to be done. Moreover, they are too subjective.

If you want to give effective feedback, try the SBI model: S - situation, B - behavior, I - impact. Giving feedback using the SBI model means constructing a three-part message.

Situation (S)

In order for a person to understand what you are giving feedback about, you need to create a context - describe the situation. The situation binds feedback to time and place.

“When you were preparing the project status report for last month...”
“When you discussed system requirements with customers...”
“Yesterday at a meeting of the Project Committee...”

Behavior (B)

“...you did not use data from the project management information system...”
“... you asked closed questions that required only yes/no answers from the customer...”
“...in presenting your point of view, you provided detailed information and answered questions directly...”

Impact (I)

Describe the impact - the thoughts, feelings, actions that result from a person's behavior: how do we feel? what is the impact on the project? what is the impact on the team?

“...as a result, the report contained incorrect project completion dates for the project.”
“...as a result, after the requirements were approved, the customer made several major changes to the project, due to which we will not be able to meet the planned deadline.”
“...therefore, the members of the Project Committee had no doubt that this project needed to be done.”

Typical errors

It is not possible to use the SBI model right away; old habits take over.

Subjectivism. The feedback giver does not describe objectively observable behavior, but rather hidden or abstract concepts:

"… you thought…"
“...you were too arrogant...”
“...it was important for you...”

Generalizations. The person giving feedback does not analyze a specific situation, but describes a set of events over a period of time:

“...you are an excellent project manager...”
“...you know how to work well in a team...”
“...you have an analytical mind...”

Ratings. The person giving feedback evaluates the person’s behavior in the categories of “good/bad” and “right/wrong.”

“...you did a bad project status report...”
“...you are collecting customer requirements incorrectly...”
“...you gave a great performance before the Project Committee...”

All errors have a common problem - they are difficult to turn into concrete actions, into different behavior in similar situations.

What does the giver get?

Both the giver and the listener benefit from feedback. For the giver of feedback to also learn something important about himself, he must separate the Impact on himself from the impact on others.

Impact on yourself:“I felt irritated”, “At first I was ashamed”, “I felt disappointed”
Impact on others:“I noticed that now the team gathers around the board less often to discuss the next steps”

Influencing others is always a guess. We don't know exactly how one person's behavior affected the behavior of other people. Therefore, report effects on others with caution - if you are not sure, do not speak.

If something in another person's behavior bothers you, this is useful information. The one who gives feedback must think and draw conclusions about himself.

“I get irritated when meetings are not planned in advance and are poorly organized.”
“I have problems with powerful people”
“I like a clear structure”

Such knowledge is exclusively subjective, but in relation to ourselves we can understand what to do next - take into account our own characteristics when choosing a project, approach to planning, and selecting a team.

How to use

For ease of working with the SBI model, we suggest downloading a template. Give each person you want to give feedback a separate sheet of paper. As you observe, record situations, behaviors, and the effects of behaviors on yourself and others on the template. And be sure to draw conclusions about yourself.

To develop the skill of effective feedback:

• collect observations regularly;
• pay attention to behavior not only in projects, but also in non-work situations;
• record observations as soon as possible;
• pay attention to the positive aspects;
• pay attention to what will help human development;
• stick to the SBI model.

The SBI model was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) https://www.ccl.org/

Director of Consulting Services
PMI PMP, MPS RP

The ability to give and receive feedback, i.e. communicate with subordinates, colleagues, managers. This tool for a successful leader remains relevant to this day. Feedback is a “mirror” of an employee’s actions through the prism of established standards in the company and the emotional maturity of his immediate supervisor.

1. Ability to delegate authority.
2. Ability to receive support from top managers of the company.
3. Ability to provide adequate feedback to subordinates.
4. Ability to accept feedback from others (colleagues, managers).
5. Showing confidence to those around you and to yourself.
6. Public speaking skills (meetings, conferences, meetings within the department, presentation of your opinion, etc.).

Today we are focusing on points 3 and 4 - The ability to give and receive feedback.

Feedback is a “mirror” of an employee’s actions through the prism of established standards in the company and the emotional maturity of his immediate supervisor. I purposefully use the term “emotional maturity of a manager” because I am sure that this is a key concept, that it is the context that matters and is decisive in the final influence on the emotions and actions of the employee.

I once read the phrase “A leader is strong in his team” - it resonated with me very much, because, as practice shows, there are no ready-made teams, they are created by talented, strong people. The creation process does not stop for a minute; it is always active. Highly effective feedback becomes an important tool for a leader in this work.

The most important prerequisite for good cooperation is constant and open two-way feedback. This is the ability to communicate with your subordinates. This quality has traditionally been attributed to the professional skill of a leader at any level.

An employee can only fully demonstrate his abilities and adapt to the requirements placed on him when he has information about the quality of his work, personal KPIs, and how he is perceived in the team.

What types of feedback exist:

1. About the results of its current activities (KPI).
2. On compliance with the company’s corporate culture.
3. About employee suggestions and initiatives.
4. About interaction with colleagues and supervisor.
5. About the company's current and strategic plans.

Feedback formats:

1. Positive feedback.
2. Negative feedback.
3. Neutral feedback.
4. Constructive feedback.
5. Motivational feedback.
6. Demotivating feedback.
7. Criticism.

All of the above actions always have a specific purpose. We do not just inform a person about the actions he has performed; we always have a purposeful task of conveying specific information to him.

What could be the purposes of feedback:

• employee(s) motivation;
• support for employee actions, direction to achieve, for example, better results;
• awareness of your strengths and weaknesses, motivation to improve your skills;
• assistance in recognizing the mistakes made and planning steps to correct them.

What are we doing about this?

First of all, before giving feedback to an employee, we mentally ask ourselves the question: “Why am I saying this now?” We remember “Reasonable Dialogue” technique, which was discussed in my previous article “How to get support from top managers.” This technique is the basis for all other speech techniques, and this is why it is valuable.

Important! So that employees hear you and understand your message exactly as you intended it, without distortion or personal interpretation.

How do we do this?

The operating principle of this model is as follows:

• start in a positive way, find positive aspects in the employee’s actions;
• the middle is what requires adjustment in the employee’s actions;
• we end the conversation again in a positive way, as a rule, we set the employee up for new actions and express our confidence that everything will work out for him.

This is a basic method that many people know and use, but from my personal practice I would like to add the following observation - changes in the actions of employees occur only in one case, if you, as a manager, believe that this employee will succeed.

If you give a positive motivational speech, but internally remain confident that the employee will not succeed, then the situation will change in a negative direction. A leader who does not believe in his team or individual employees on a non-verbal level demonstrates to them what he is silent about, and gets the result that he himself believes in, i.e. low result. The employees will exactly meet his expectations.

Why? Because verbal information is complemented by nonverbal information, and at the level of intuition, the employee considers your disbelief (nonverbal information) in him and will begin to meet your expectations. This phenomenon is described in detail in the psychological literature.

For example, an experiment was conducted with students. The class was divided into two parts. One group of teachers was told that gifted children would study with them and asked them to take this very seriously. Other teachers were told that I'm sorry, but it so happened that you got the students who were behind. But in fact, the children were absolutely equal in terms of knowledge. As a result of the experiment, a group of schoolchildren who were taught by teachers who believed that they were teaching gifted children showed very good results. The other half of the students showed lower results than before the experiment.

In practice, there are more such examples when faith in a person’s capabilities pushes him to achieve high results, and vice versa.

If you are sure that an employee will definitely not cope with the task, there is no need to put on a “good face on a bad game”; assign another specialist to this task, or change the employee.

There is another option: on the one hand, you are not completely sure of the employee’s sufficient qualifications, but you give him a chance to try his hand. The results may be unexpected. However, this still implies a small percentage of faith in the positive outcome of the experiment. It is possible that such an experiment will become a point of growth for an employee.

And now about other effective techniques.

Express method - Model B.O.F.F.(most often used in coaching management).

Behavior - Outcome - Feelings - Future

How to use? Structure of a conversation with an employee:

Behavior (actions)- we note only facts (event, action, data, etc.). Important! Do not give emotional coloring to actions, only objective information.

Example:- You were 30 minutes late for a work meeting today.

Result (effect of these actions) - we list the consequences that occurred or could occur as a result of these actions.

Example:- Your lateness resulted in the failure to sign the supply agreement with client A.

Feelings - we describe only our feelings, emotions that were your reaction to these actions.

Example:- I was unpleasant that because of your lateness...

Setting for the future - discuss specific steps the employee is willing to take to ensure that such actions do not happen again.

Example:- What can you do to avoid being late for important work meetings?

In cases where an employee’s actions are repeated, it is advisable to proceed to administrative consequences.

In the classic version of B.O.F.F. There are two more steps such as:

• Repeated violation entails logical consequences, i.e. Agreements are agreed with the employee on what measures will be taken against the employee when the situation repeats. Moreover, the employee assigns himself a measure of responsibility.
• If the violation is repeated again after the agreed upon logical consequences, then they move on to administrative consequences - a fine, reprimand, dismissal, etc.

In my practice, I have rarely seen the last two steps in Russian companies. Most often, the manager determines the extent of responsibility for violating agreements immediately after identifying any violation/action.

I will not describe the next two models in detail; I am sure that you understand the principle of operation of such models, and there is enough information on this topic on the Internet.

Model S.O.I.

Standart – Observation - Result / Standard - Observation - Result

It is most appropriate to use in situations where an employee has committed some kind of violation or violated corporate rules or standards.

Model SLC

Successes - Lessons (Learn) - Change (Changes)

This feedback model works effectively in group activities - design work, summarizing the intermediate results of the team’s activities or the final work of the team.

During my work with managers of different statuses in Russian companies, I collected and compiled into a small table the conclusions that characterize highly effective feedback, I think this information will be useful to you.

Highly effective feedback

Effectively	Ineffective
Pay attention to employee behavior	Focus on the employee's personality
Rely on objective data/observations/facts	Rely on reasoning/assumptions/emotions
Analyze event/action	Evaluate the event/action
Exchange ideas/collaborate	Give advice/directions
Express your thoughts specifically and clearly	Summarize your thoughts
Quick response to an event/action. Show your attitude quickly	Delay the expression of your attitude
Solve problems that you can really influence	Strive to solve problems that are impossible to influence
The “carrot and stick” method	Apply the method of either only praise or only criticism
Believe that the situation will improve	Don't believe the situation will improve

I think every successful leader is interested in what thoughts are born in the minds of his employees and what questions they expect answers to during feedback. Re-collected material in practice:

• The biggest discomfort for employees is the “information vacuum.”
• How does my work meet my manager's expectations? How does he evaluate my results?
• How does he evaluate me as a person? How valuable am I to my manager?
• What performance standards (KPIs) do the company have? Do I meet these standards?
• How does the manager/company evaluate my contribution to the overall performance of the department/company?
• What do I need to do to move to the next career level at this company? What skills need to be improved? What skills need to be developed?

How to measure the effectiveness of feedback?

First, define effective feedback. The most common definition is that effective feedback is feedback that is followed by appropriate behavior change (Jewell, 2001). Regulation of behavior, along with regulation of interpersonal relationships and self-knowledge, are the main functions of feedback (Russell, 2002).

In this regard, within the framework of the issue discussed in this article, it is advisable to distinguish three levels of feedback effectiveness:

• Behavior level- when we observe an employee’s intention to adjust his behavior/actions in accordance with the feedback received.

• Level of relationships/communications- when an employee has an intention to change relations with the manager and participants in the event/actions in accordance with the feedback received.

• Level of personal attitude towards OS (individual reaction to OS)- when an employee has specific actions to change his attitude towards himself in accordance with the feedback received.

We looked at the topic of how to give feedback to subordinates.

How to receive feedback? And again, a collection of recommendations collected as a result of practical work with managers.

Firstly, they were once also novice managers and, like you, studied this powerful work tool, so first of all it is important to understand the mechanism of feedback.

Secondly, listen carefully to feedback. What not to do - object/interrupt.

Third, ask clarifying questions, collect lenses. What you shouldn’t do is look for hidden meaning.

Fourth, recognize objective data. What not to do is ignore the lens.

Fifthly, join in the discussion. What you shouldn’t do is refuse to answer, avoid discussion.

At sixth, accept information without judgment. What you shouldn’t do is defend yourself.

The material presented in this article will help you navigate your first management steps. Next, you will develop your unique experience and supplement this collection of useful tips with your individual solutions.

In practice, of course, there are many different variations and it is not always necessary to act according to any specific feedback model. Try it, take action!

If you wish, further study the techniques of neurolinguistics, for example, speech meta-programs, transactional analysis by E. Berne (Parent-Adult-Child) in order to more deeply understand and measure the level of effectiveness of feedback.

I shared seven important rules that successful managers use when giving feedback to employees. In this material we will look at several models that allow you to effectively build such a conversation. For convenience, we will use examples.

"Sandwich" of feedback

The most famous model - and widely used. Simple to understand, easy to remember, easy to use.

Description: the developmental feedback block is located between two positive feedback blocks. Hence the name "sandwich". It is used in conversations about setting goals, adjusting results, and developing employees. Typically not used for disciplinary conversations, situations involving violations, failure to fulfill duties, where adjustments to the employee’s behavior are required.

Situation: Sergey, an employee of the sales department, fulfilled the plan according to two indicators (sales volume and number of active customers). However, the target for selling the new product is only 50% achieved.

Example:

Start with a positive assessment. “Sergey, it’s nice to note that this month you were included in the group of the best sellers who fulfilled the sales volume plan by 100%. I see that you had to work hard and establish relationships with many clients - you are also a leader in terms of the number of active clients.” After such words of encouragement, the employee will be ready to discuss areas of work that require improvement.

Discuss what needs improvement and change, and agree on an action plan. “At the same time, there is still room to grow. Pay attention to sales of the new brand. This month you only accomplished half of what you planned. It is now important for the company to bring this product to market. Let’s discuss what you can do to improve this indicator next month.” Note that there is no criticism. There is dialogue and constructive discussion.

End the conversation on a positive note. “Great, the plan has been agreed upon, now let’s act. I am sure that with your ability to work with clients, you can handle this task. Remember: if you increase sales of a new brand, you can enter the top three winners in the competition that is currently underway. If you need help, come in."

B.O.F.F.

Description: an abbreviation of the initial letters of the English name of the four stages of the model. Behavior (Behaviour) - Result (Outcome) - Feelings (Feelings) - Future (Future).

Situation: a new employee of the customer service department, Irina, regularly violates the standards of quality service, namely: she does not greet clients, is rude, ignores client requests, does not answer phone calls, and is late during lunch breaks.

Example:

Behavior. Tell Irina your observations about her work. Specifically, in the language of facts, preferably with details, dates of observations. Discuss the reasons. Sometimes it happens that an employee is not fully aware of what is expected of him.

Outcome. Discuss with Irina how her behavior (irritation and rudeness when working with clients, ignoring requests, long absence from work after a break) affects business results, the number of complaints from clients, and the number of Clients served.

Feelings. Talk about how you feel knowing that Irina works this way. You are upset, sad, not very happy, it’s unpleasant for you to realize. Discuss how other employees feel when Irina is away from work for a long time and they have to work with additional workload. By doing this, you will help Irina realize that her behavior is unacceptable.

Future. Discuss with Irina what she can do in the future to eliminate this behavior. It is best to ask questions and get answers from the employee. This will allow her to take responsibility for decisions and actions in the future. At the end of the conversation, agree on specific actions and deadlines - outline an action plan for the future. And it is very advisable to schedule a meeting date at which you will summarize the work on yourself that Irina will do.

Description: Standard - Observation - Result.

Situation: Andrey, an employee of the technical support center, did not respond to a request for troubleshooting from the business development department.

Example:

Standard. Remind the standards that have been set. “For the second year now, our department has had a rapid response standard - any request must be responded to within 15 minutes. This does not mean that the fault will necessarily be fixed in these 15 minutes, but our customer will receive a response that the application has been accepted and we have started working.”

Observation. State facts and observations. “On the application that you received yesterday at 10:25 from the business development department, the customer did not receive a response until the beginning of today. The problem has not been resolved: there is still no access to the system.”

Result. Discuss the impact of behavior on the business, team, clients, employee. “As a result, the business development department was forced to postpone negotiations with a major client yesterday; they were unable to obtain the information necessary for preparation. This is an important client for the company, and we have no guarantees that they will not start negotiations with competitors due to our sluggishness.”

It is logical that the next step would be for the employee to make a commitment to change his own behavior.

Description: Successes - Lessons (Learn) - Change (Changes). This feedback model fits well into team work: the work of project groups when summing up final or intermediate results, team meetings.

Situation: The project team has completed the first stage of development of the new system.

Example:

Ask each project team member to list the 2 most important personal accomplishments they achieved during the project, the 1 most important lesson they learned, and the 1 change they needed to make in the second phase of the project. Then let everyone have their say. Make lists and choose the 5 most important achievements, 2 lessons, and 1 most important change. The number of items in the list may vary depending on the situation and the size of the project team.

Of course, there are many other ways to structure a conversation with an employee. This article provides an overview of the most well-known and successfully used feedback models in practice.