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Feedback: A Tool for Better Relationships and Stronger Performance
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Feedback: A Tool for Better Relationships and Stronger Performance

16/6/2025
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0   min.
Articles
Feedback

Feedback is a complex social phenomenon that one could spend years exploring. We’ve done the deep dive so you don’t have to. This is a solid foundation for anyone looking to use feedback as a tool to support the development of people, relationships or processes.

By
Morten Melby
Partner

Morten is a former Air Force officer, graduated in business economics and psychology from CBS and has worked in management consulting for the past 9 years.

Morten is a former Air Force officer, graduated in business economics and psychology from CBS and has worked in management consulting for the past 9 years.

What Is Feedback?‍

Feedback is the exchange of perspectives and information intended to strengthen or change a person’s behavior. It occurs when someone chooses to share their view of another person’s actions or behavior, with the purpose of promoting growth or offering recognition.

At Feedwork, we work with feedback between people, with a particular focus on professional life. While feedback is also relevant at home and in close personal relationships, we see the greatest potential for learning, wellbeing and collaboration in the workplace.

When we give feedback, it’s about activating our observations of colleagues or team members. Maybe we’ve noticed how they approach tasks, handle change, or communicate during meetings. When we combine these observations with our own experience and a genuine intention to support, we create the opportunity to bring real value to each other.

That’s exactly what we find interesting. In this article, we’ll explore more deeply what feedback really is and how it can be used meaningfully at work.
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The 3 Types of Feedback‍

To reduce confusion and bring more clarity when talking about feedback at work, it’s helpful to distinguish between three main types: appreciative feedback, developmental feedback, and evaluative feedback.

Each type speaks to different human needs. That’s why it’s valuable to create a shared language and mutual understanding. When we know what kind of feedback we are giving or receiving, it strengthens both the impact and the quality of our collaboration.

1) Appreciative Feedback

When you want to acknowledge a colleague — for example, their effort, their help, or input. Maybe you want to thank them for assisting with the project last week. Maybe you’ve noticed a colleague’s exceptional contribution. Or perhaps you want to share that your manager highlighted pages 6 and 7 in your report. It’s precisely in those moments when we recognize each other that motivation grows and collaboration strengthens.

(Re)watch our Webinar: Discover the secret behind appreciative feedback.

2) Developmental Feedback

When you want to help your colleague grow professionally, either by correcting or encouraging a specific behavior. You might share what they could do differently to get their message across more clearly in a presentation. Or you might point out how their strong sense of structure can be applied more broadly in their work.

It’s about sharing your observations in a way that supports their growth and encourages them to take the next step.

(Re)watch our webinar: How to give developmental feedback to your employees.

3) Evaluative Feedback

When you assess a colleague’s performance and relate it to your expectations, or when you receive feedback about your own level. For instance, your colleague might tell you that you did a great job compared to your usual performance. Or, as a manager, you might have to explain that the project hasn’t yet met the desired standard.

In such situations, it’s crucial that we speak the same language when giving and receiving feedback — otherwise misunderstandings can easily arise.

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Feedback Works Best When It Meets the Right Need‍

Feedback is most effective when it addresses the right need - because different types of feedback fulfill different psychological functions:

  • Appreciative feedback supports the need to feel seen and valued. It gives us a sense that our work matters and that our efforts make a difference to others.
    ‍
  • Developmental feedback meets our need for learning and progress. It helps us grow and become more capable than we were yesterday.
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  • Evaluative feedback speaks to our need for clarity and direction. It helps us understand where we stand and can reduce uncertainty.

The division into these three types is based on a simple idea: All people have fundamental psychological needs. Since we are different, our need for each type of feedback will vary from person to person. When a colleague asks for feedback, it’s worth being curious about which need they’re hoping to have met.

It can also be helpful to ask yourself what type of feedback you most often seek. This can give you a clearer sense of what you need from others - and make you more aware of the kind of feedback you tend to give in return.
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What Is Good Feedback?‍

Good feedback is the kind that supports learning, development, stronger relationships and improved performance - all at once.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, because feedback is a complex social process. But here are eight core principles that define high-quality feedback:

1) Good Feedback is Dialogical

A common but outdated view of feedback is that there is an active giver and a passive receiver. But that is far from the most effective and motivating way to work with feedback.

If we want to create real learning and motivation, we should aim for a practice where both parties are active. When both giver and receiver contribute, it increases the sense of ownership and involvement. It also helps the giver understand what the receiver actually finds central and meaningful.

The feedback conversation should therefore begin with an invitation. The giver invites the receiver to share their perspectives, reflections, and considerations so the dialogue becomes mutual and meaningful from the start.

2) Good Feedback is Precise and Descriptive

To ensure that feedback creates value and is easy to understand and use for the receiver, we base it on concrete situations, clear behaviors, and specific experiences. This makes the feedback more recognizable, applicable, and educational.

A classic pitfall is giving feedback based on a string of experiences that blur into a general impression. Such feedback easily becomes too vague, generalized, and driven by gut feelings or unclear memories.

That kind of feedback can be hard for the receiver to recognize themselves in – and thus hard to learn from. Instead, we aim to provide feedback more frequently and grounded in everyday concrete situations. This makes it easier to foster development and strengthen the relationship between giver and receiver.

3) Good Feedback is Solution-Oriented

The word feedback may imply that we focus on what has already happened. That’s often a good idea, since past experiences can offer key learning points. But we shouldn’t stop there. If feedback is to enhance a sense of capability, agency, and motivation, we also need to look forward.

Forward-looking feedback is about showing what a good solution might look like in the future. This can happen through dialogue, curious questions, or specific guidance — all with the goal of supporting development and creating direction.

4) Good Feedback is Also Informal

A healthy feedback culture isn’t created only through performance reviews, product reviews, or one-on-one meetings. It also lives in the informal and spontaneous moments — at the coffee machine or in a quick desk conversation. These everyday interactions between colleagues carry much of the culture that shapes our shared learning and development.

Spontaneous conversations can be greatly supported by more formal structures, including in the relationship between leaders and employees. When we build informal feedback habits, feedback becomes a natural part of daily leadership and collaboration — not something that only happens behind closed doors a few times a year.

5) Good Feedback Happens Frequently

We often say: It’s better to aim to improve by 1 percent each week than to chase 10 percent every quarter. Big changes come from small steps. When we work with ongoing adjustments, results become visible faster, and conversations feel less confrontational.

The more often we give and receive feedback, the more natural it becomes as part of our work rhythm. This not only improves the quality of our feedback practice but also strengthens our ability to solve tasks efficiently and collaborate smoothly.

6) Good Feedback is Fair

There is often discussion about whether feedback should be corrective or appreciative and strengths-based. But that question may be less important than we think. According to research from the Corporate Leadership Council (2002), it’s more important that the receiver perceives the feedback as fair.

Whether you're giving corrective or appreciative feedback, it's essential that the receiver can see themselves in it and recognize its fairness. When feedback feels fair, it’s more likely to foster motivation and learning. On the other hand, feedback that seems unfair or disconnected from reality can damage the relationship and reduce willingness to engage in future feedback conversations.

7) Good Feedback is Accepted

Acceptance is an important prerequisite for learning — and thus for feedback, as learning is often its central goal. That’s why it’s crucial the receiver has accepted receiving feedback before the conversation begins. Acceptance can come in many forms — through a scheduled meeting, a formal process, or as a natural part of the relationship.

In more informal, spontaneous feedback moments, it takes a bit more thought. Here, acceptance can arise when the receiver asks for feedback or when you as the giver ask if it’s a good time to share an observation. The more feedback conversations stem from the receiver’s own request, the better it is — for both learning and the feedback culture.

8) Good Feedback Inspires More Feedback

Building a healthy feedback culture is also about using feedback sustainably — in a way that works and evolves over time. Every feedback conversation should leave the receiver with the desire and motivation to engage in feedback again. If not, we risk that our feedback practices lose their effect and fade from everyday work. We don’t want that.

Instead, we should strive for feedback conversations that energize and inspire more. Conversations that motivate reflection, action, and passing on the feedback. When feedback inspires the receiver to give feedback next time an opportunity arises, we’re well on our way to a strong and lasting feedback culture.

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The OPF Model: A Constructive Model for Feedback

How do you create a solid structure in your feedback? One way is to use the OPF model. This model is designed to increase the likelihood that your feedback will be both constructive and easy for the recipient to relate to.

The OPF model provides a clear framework for structuring your feedback. Here's how it works, broken down into three steps:

Experience‍

Feedback should be based on concrete observations to ensure it is action-oriented and easy to relate to. Describe the situation in a neutral, factual way - something that could be seen on a video recording. Avoid interpreting emotions or intentions. For example:

  • “I noticed that you presented the agenda with eight items...”
  • “I’ve observed that you haven’t said much during our team meetings over the past few months...”
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Impact‍

Explain why you’re giving the feedback and how the experience has affected you. This creates clarity and helps avoid misunderstandings. Feedback is subjective, so be explicit about your intention: Is it a detail, an important principle, or something critical? For example:

  • “...it seems a bit misaligned with our agreement to keep meetings more focused...”
  • “...I miss your input - you’ve previously shared valuable perspectives...”
    ‍

Future‍

To make feedback constructive, it’s important to offer a sense of direction. This third step ensures your feedback is solution-oriented. After explaining the impact, you should propose a way forward - either by giving a specific suggestion or by inviting a dialogue. The choice depends on the situation:

  • Offer advice if you have significant experience, the issue involves a serious mistake, time is limited, or your colleague has specifically asked for it.
  • Ask questions if your colleague has strong expertise, there are multiple possible solutions, you have time for discussion, or the colleague wants to be involved.

Good questions could be:

  • “What do you think we should do moving forward?”
  • “What are your thoughts on what I just shared?”

Balancing advice and questions takes time to master. We’ve created a guide on asking and answering questions in feedback to help you navigate this dynamic.

Listen to Jonas explain more about how to use the OPF model in practice (danish):

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A Flexible Tool for All Types of Feedback

The OPF model works well for both constructive and appreciative feedback, ensuring three essential elements:

  • A shared starting point, making it easier for the recipient to accept the feedback
  • Useful information the recipient can learn from
  • Forward-looking suggestions that clarify what to do next

For example:
“I noticed you started the meeting by presenting all 8 agenda items.”
“That felt a bit at odds with our goal of keeping meetings shorter, and I found it harder to stay focused.”
“Maybe we could split it into two meetings with the relevant participants? What do you think?”

The model offers structure and clarity – but use it flexibly, so your feedback stays personal and authentic.

Read our article: How to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback.
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What Is Positive and Negative Feedback?

Many people talk about positive and negative feedback, but those terms can be misleading. They suggest that praise always feels good and criticism always feels bad. Reality is rarely that simple.

We prefer to talk about high vs. low-quality feedback, and reinforcing vs. corrective feedback. These terms offer a clearer and more nuanced understanding, helping us speak more precisely about what the feedback is actually addressing.

Reinforcing and Corrective Feedback

Here, we focus on the intention behind the feedback being given. In simple terms, it’s about whether we want to see more or less of the observed behaviour.

  • ‍Reinforcing feedback is intended to strengthen, cultivate, or maintain a behaviour.
    For example:
    “I really appreciate when you use humour in your presentations – please keep doing that.”
    “I value your curious questions in a process like this, thank you for contributing them.”
    ‍
  • Corrective feedback is intended to change, adjust, or redirect a behaviour.
    For example:
    “I’d recommend increasing the font size on your slides when presenting to a group this large.”
    “If I were you, I’d try using fewer, more carefully chosen words to make your message clearer.”
    ‍

High- and Low-Quality Feedback

The amount of learning and motivation that follows a feedback experience largely depends on how the feedback is delivered. That’s why it makes sense to talk about the quality of feedback.

  • ‍Low-quality feedback can take many forms, but is often characterised by:
    - A lack of specific informatio
    - No solution-oriented focus
    - Vague descriptions or observations
    - Delivered in a harsh or disrespectful tone

    In short, the opposite of the principles described in “What is good feedback?”
  • ‍High-quality feedback happens when the giver is intentional and focused on the recipient’s development. If you follow the principles of good feedback and use a structure like the OPF model, you’re already well on your way to providing high-quality feedback.

Read our article: How to create high-quality feedback.

For most teams, it can be useful to define locally what high- and low-quality feedback looks like. This exercise can help build a shared understanding of the feedback culture you’re aiming for.
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What skills matter in feedback?

As mentioned earlier, feedback is a complex social phenomenon. That means the skill set involved is broad. Let’s look at some of the most essential skills – the foundational disciplines of good feedback:

1) Listening and Curiosity

As mentioned, good feedback is dialogical, and this requires us to engage in joint exploration, creation, and construction of the outcomes within the specific feedback conversation. A central condition for this is that both parties are able to listen and show curiosity in the feedback process.

2) The Ability to Ask Good Questions

Good questions lead to good answers and spark interesting conversations. Some social constructionists say that language creates reality — and that applies to feedback as well. A good question can initiate the exchange, shift a stuck conversation, or uncover new insights.

3) Empathy

The ability to understand and recognize other people’s emotions is crucial when navigating relationships and interactions — including feedback conversations.

4) Perspective-Taking

Seeing things from multiple angles brings new insights. The ability to set aside your own perspective to explore another’s is incredibly helpful when exploring solutions or sharing experiences during feedback. Even as a receiver, you'll seem more receptive when you're able to consider the giver’s perspective.

5) Emotion Regulation

The ability to control, moderate, or manage your emotions can be very useful in feedback. Yes, you might feel genuinely happy, disappointed, or upset during feedback. To avoid being overwhelmed or losing focus, it helps to have strategies for emotional regulation.

6) Effective Feedback Tools

There are many different feedback tools and approaches, each suitable for different situations and relationships. If all parties feel competent in using these tools in everyday situations, they’ll experience a greater sense of mastery, and the conversations will be more beneficial.

7) Aligned Expectations

Is it really a skill? Well, maybe not. But it’s definitely important to align expectations in any feedback relationship. Feedback can work in many different ways — what matters is that there’s agreement and acceptance on how it should be used in that specific collaboration.

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What Role Does Feedback Play in Leadership?

It’s a big question with many angles, but one thing is clear: feedback and leadership are closely connected. Strong feedback skills are an essential part of any leader’s toolbox – something that employees, customers, and partners all expect.

At the same time, leaders play a central role in shaping a healthy feedback culture. They are often both role models and key facilitators of communication across the organisation. When leaders use feedback actively in everyday interactions, it sets the tone and influences the wider culture around them.

Feedback can help you – both as a leader and as a person – understand how your behaviour is interpreted by those around you. Feedback from others supports you in building strong and meaningful relationships with them.

The feedback culture is also shaped by leaders’ overall leadership behaviour. Topics such as psychological safety, trust, goal orientation, recognition and curiosity greatly influence a team’s ability to foster healthy and productive feedback dialogues.

When feedback works best, it flows in all directions within the organisation – across both vertical and horizontal boundaries (in more traditional organisational structures). This also means that leaders should request and receive feedback just as often as they give it.
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What is the purpose of feedback?‍

Feedback is never a goal in itself, but rather a tool to achieve other objectives. These objectives may vary depending on the organisation. It is essential to clarify the purpose, as this determines how feedback should be used. For example, the way feedback is used to drive more innovative products differs from how it is used to enhance employee wellbeing.

The goals may be diverse, and in many cases, there can be multiple purposes at once.

Examples of what the goals could be:
  • To create a more learning-oriented organization
  • To reduce the error rate in products
  • To optimize work processes
  • To improve well-being among the employee group
  • To create a more attractive workplace
  • To improve job performance
  • To increase employee-driven innovation

An important point about goals and feedback is to make the goal a visible part of internal communication. This helps employees understand why feedback plays a key role in the organisation’s development.

A good example of how to strengthen a feedback culture across multiple locations can be found in the case of Elgiganten. Read more in the client case: How do you strengthen feedback in a giant organisation across locations?, where Elgiganten shares its experiences with building a consistent and effective feedback culture.
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What else about feedback?‍

If you still have questions we haven’t answered here, feel free to explore our knowledge section. We offer a wide range of articles, podcast episodes, short videos, free webinars, practical guides and more.

And if you’ve reached the point where a direct conversation makes more sense, don’t hesitate to give us a call – we’d be happy to talk with you about your feedback-related questions. You’re always welcome to contact us.

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Af
Morten Melby
Partner

Morten is a former Air Force officer, graduated in business economics and psychology from CBS and has worked in management consulting for the past 9 years.

Morten is a former Air Force officer, graduated in business economics and psychology from CBS and has worked in management consulting for the past 9 years.

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