Good feedback in management goes both ways. Managers need information from employees. They need to know how employees see their tasks--difficult, easy, unnecessarily complicated, or without purpose. A feedback system provides controls that show what is, or is not, according to plan. The information helps measure progress toward the goals of a particular project that were set earlier. What may emerge is an awareness that the plan is not workable, or that those goals need changing. However, none of this information can be discovered if a manager does not listen to his employees (Quick, 1980, p. 98).
A good feedback system has the benefit of uncovering problems and obstacles. It provides opportunities for managers and subordinates to find solutions to the problems that prevent them from working well. Sometimes subordinates know more about a problem, and can come up with more solutions, than their managers.
There are long-range rewards for managers who regularly schedule listening or feedback sessions with their subordinates. For one thing, the manager confirms his or her dedication to good performance. The manager wants results--for himself as an individual, for the organization, and for the employees. Appraisals, coaching, counseling, criticism, and reinforcement show subordinates that the manager is concerned with the effectiveness of everyone in the department.
It is through feedback, especially coaching, that managers know what resources their subordinates have. It is a learning opportunity for the manager and the subordinate. Thus, any feedback is a transaction. The manager must decide what he or she wants from the feedback session, what the employee wants from it too, and how both can get what they want. It is not enough for the manager to assert his needs. He must recognize that the employee also has needs and can provide certain resources and strengths to help make the transaction work--for everyone's ...