Using Feedback in Organizational Consulting

Book excerpt: This book provides consulting psychologists, managers, and human resources personnel with easy-to-use, evidence-based strategies for providing effective feedback to improve communication and performance in the workplace. Feedback is an essential part of communication, coaching, management, and human resource practices. Yet the essential elements that make feedback more effective often fail to go beyond the pages of academic journal articles and into the workplace where they could greatly improve communication and performance. This book is an easy-to-use resource that applies classic and current research findings to create actionable, evidence-based tactics that consulting psychologists, consultants, managers, and HR personnel can use to improve feedback exchanges in any work environment. The authors present a simple and straightforward model of the feedback process that includes four critical elements that can make or break a feedback exchange: the actions and behaviors of the feedback provider, the content of the message, the beliefs and perceptions of the feedback recipient, and the context in which feedback is provided. Each chapter includes a case example that highlights key takeaways from the research and illustrates how consultants can apply these concepts and strategies in real scenarios.