What is peer feedback?
You may already be familiar with a manager/employee feedback loop, which facilitates two-way communication between team leaders and members. A peer feedback cycle works in a similar way, but involves the members of a team.
Through a feedback loop, employees can share their opinions and ideas with their team. Recognizing and rewarding their efforts will motivate employees, improve engagement, increase productivity.
Team members constantly provide feedback to each other so they can improve and learn. It’s a great way to build relationships and collaborate, while replacing loneliness with the feeling of belonging.
Peer-to-peer feedback can be demonstrated by a weekly team discussion, either in person or via video. Employees are encouraged, during the discussion, to acknowledge their coworkers for their small victories. This positive reinforcement builds team spirits and motivates everyone.
5 ways to cultivate a culture that encourages constructive feedback from peers
In a workplace that is constantly changing, it is important to create a culture where peers provide feedback. It’s not as difficult as you think.
How you get employee feedback makes a difference. Here are 10 suggestions to improve communication within your organization.
1. Define the team feedback process
It may be appealing to use an informal peer feedback process, but it is not the most effective. Some employees are more vocal.
A peer feedback cycle can only be successful if all team members are empowered to participate. Your team will be more likely to contribute if you have a clearly-defined process.
Feedback loops are implemented in a variety of ways. You could use a casual approach where team members discuss problems via online chat groups, or casual conversation.
Unstructured approaches can work, but they are less effective. You could miss the valuable feedback provided by a structured approach.
2. Educate your team
It is pointless to create a feedback system if no one understands how it works. This is why a feedback tool that is intuitive can be a great option.
Explain to them what you want. Explain why you want more feedback—and why it’s vital for them to share opinions and suggestions with colleagues. Show them how this system will improve teamwork and not just drain time.
Show them how to give and receive feedback better. Teach them how to give better feedback and how to receive it. Give examples of good employee feedback, plus advice on what they should avoid. A little education will go a long ways to improve results.
3. Prioritize constructive criticism
A peer feedback program is designed to improve the way team members work together. It is difficult to achieve when the culture is one that is full of criticism and blame-shifting.
Remember to build systems which prioritize constructive feedback. It is important that people understand that the project is not about blaming anyone, but instead about working together to find a solution.
Both team members and recipients of feedback should feel comfortable expressing concerns.
4. Balance the scales
While constructive feedback is the ‘holy grail’ you aim for, it’s not the whole story. Inevitably, the issues raised will run across the entire spectrum from very negative to highly positive.
All feedback should be taken into account. Even though these negative concerns are troubling, they cannot be ignored. So work on getting the balance right—encouraging constructive criticism while also accounting for less-than-positive feedback.
5. Be sure to engage managers.
The key to peer-to-peer feedback is that all team members must be interacting at the same standard. Managers are vital in ensuring that this process is successful. This is a team effort and everyone must be involved.
All feedback loops are initiated by management and conclude at management. Managers are crucial in ensuring peer feedback loops are successful. They are essential in defining and implementing the feedback process.
Peer-to peer feedback encourages trust and collaboration
Peer-to peers feedback can transform businesses. The benefits you get are proportional to how much effort you put in setting them up.
A well-designed piece of software can foster a sense of trust by allowing employees to speak up and be heard. It can also be an effective tool for team collaboration. It can generate innovative ideas that will change the way people do business. Who knows what innovative concepts your team and you can come up!