How can good feedback work as a tool in a time of crisis? The country is in crisis mode. Relief packages, uncertainty about the future, employees working from home, employees being laid off, and many companies losing a large part of their revenue. In other words, our everyday lives have been turned upside down in a short period of time, and we now have to deal with a new reality that few people would have expected just 1-2 months ago.
Our human needs are still the same
Even though a lot of things feel overwhelming now, and no one really knows what's going to happen, I've been thinking about "What has NOT changed since the COVID-19 crisis?". Because even though we have to deal with a lot of new things in our external world, it's still the same internal mechanisms that shape our behavior as humans.
All people, regardless of age, height or size, share 6 basic psychological needs that we seek to fulfill in our lives. When these needs are not met, we often feel unhappy - and conversely, when they are met, we thrive. Although the world around us has changed a lot in a short period of time, these needs have not fundamentally changed, despite the crisis atmosphere. Sure, there may have been a shift in which needs feel most urgent right now.
In this article, I will give you insight into the 6 psychological needs and how they are relevant to feedback. Finally, I would like to give my concrete suggestions on what to pay extra attention to in terms of feedback in these times to ensure that we still connect with each other and avoid unhappiness.
The 6 universal psychological needs
Our human behavior is largely driven by what needs we have and how we seek to get those needs met. One of the world's most recognized business and life coaches, Tony Robbins, works with a fairly simple framework to describe 6 psychological needs we all have:
- The need for certainty: e.g. certainty about what is going to happen/a plan
- The need for uncertainty/variety: e.g. surprises, new stimuli and change
D↩ - The need for significance: e.g. feeling special, important or indispensable
- The need for connection/love: For example, having a close relationship and connection with colleagues or a partner
- The need for development: e.g. expanding knowledge, understanding and skills
- The need to contribute: e.g. helping others and giving back
According to Robbins, we all need to fulfill these 6 different needs to varying degrees, which can be expressed in many different ways. For example, two people who both have a high need to feel significant may seek to fulfill this need by striving for an Instagram profile with many followers, and the other by working 70 hours a week to gain professional recognition. Some strategies will be considered more sustainable in the long run than others. What we all have in common is that it is the combination and degree of these needs that motivate us to act in a certain way. For example, a colleague with a need for close relationships with colleagues may actively seek out opportunities to work with others on projects.
When needs are met, employees will thrive and perform better
The fundamental thing to understand about psychological needs is that people who feel their needs are met will generally be more satisfied and therefore perform better than people who don't feel their needs are met. So, if an employee has a strong need to develop professionally in an area, but doesn't feel like their needs are being met in their current job, they will naturally look elsewhere.
Some may read the above and think "Well, the people who have achieved extraordinary results in life, isn't it precisely because they have NOT had their needs satisfied that they have remained hungry for success?", and to that I would say "Yes! But...". If Michael Phelps' need to feel significant had been met at an early age, it probably wouldn't have led to the great achievements he accomplished. However, I would argue that the vast majority of employees don't have the ambition of Michael Phelps and 99.9999% of the population would have given up in their quest for recognition long before Phelps did if they didn't feel seen for their efforts. Therefore, if you want your employees to thrive, it makes the most sense to help people meet their individual needs.
Read great feedback too.
The crisis does not change our basic psychological needs
In the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, it's important to remember that the basic psychological needs don't really change that much. The focus might shift a little (for people with a high need for certainty, it might be extra stressful during this period, and therefore people with this primary need seek to have it met before the other needs), but fundamentally they will be more or less the same. If it's important for me to feel growth in a normal day-to-day life, it will still be important to me now, even if I have to work from home.
How does feedback relate to basic psychological needs?
At Feedwork, we recommend that feedback should be seen as something that can be divided into 3 different types:
- Recognitive feedback
- When you thank your colleague for helping you with your project last week.
- When your boss tells you that he particularly liked pages 6 and 7 of your report.
- Developmental feedback
- When you tell your colleague what you see they can do differently to get their message across more clearly during the presentation.
- When you tell your colleague how you see them using their well-developed structure gene in other aspects of their work.
- Evaluative feedback
- When you are told that your colleague thinks you did a good job compared to what you normally deliver.
- When you as a manager tell your employees that the project is not at a satisfactory level yet.
The reason we believe feedback should be understood in this way is because each type of feedback speaks directly to some of the psychological needs we have.
- The appreciative feedback speaks to the need for connection and significance
- The developmental feedback speaks to the need for development
- The evaluative feedback speaks to the need for certainty
We need the appreciative feedback to build trusting relationships with people and to feel like our contributions make a difference. We need the developmental feedback to feel like we're improving in our work and to feel like we're getting a little bit smarter every day and can solve even bigger challenges. We need the evaluative feedback to know if our efforts led to a satisfactory result, if the customer likes or dislikes the meeting, or if my efforts during the year lead to a bonus. In fact, as humans, we generally like knowing that people didn't like our presentation better than not knowing anything at all about whether people liked it or not. Think about the times you've delivered a product at work and heard nothing from it... A bit frustrating, right?
Healthy feedback helps you support employee wellbeing
Feedback is therefore not just feedback, but a tool that seeks to fulfill a basic psychological need. Good, well-considered feedback can therefore support our psychological needs in a very concrete way.
Why connection naturally falls in these times and what you need to be aware of in terms of feedback at a distance
Therefore, if our basic psychological needs haven't changed, but our working conditions have, it could mean that there is a risk of creating a vacuum - or in other words, a mismatch between what you need and what you feel you are getting.
One of the things that comes naturally in these times where we are forced to be physically distanced from each other is our connection to each other. And I'm not just talking about the fact that we may not see each other in the same way as we do on a daily basis in the workplace, but that we lose the sense of what we are working on and the feeling of sparring with colleagues about tasks.
At the same time, in times of great uncertainty in some workplaces, there can be an extra need for certainty and clarification - both in relation to the initiatives we deliver, but also clarification in relation to what the future holds.
Below I've written my suggestions for what you can do, or what you can pay extra attention to, when working remotely - as a manager and employee respectively - in relation to the 3 types of feedback.
What can I do as a manager?
Recognitive feedback
Take extra care to 'see' your employees for the work and effort they put in. Recognize it every time you see an employee making a difference in these times and praise the team for the little things that keep you effective.
For example, during your virtual team check-ins, you might want to appreciate the virtual sparring that employees have done with each other over the past few days.
Or acknowledge that working at home with 2 children is difficult and that you can see that your colleague has made an effort.
Developmental feedback
We typically only see the result of a product/delivery in these times and don't notice the effort as much. This can mean that we can easily judge the result and find the holes in the cheese without knowing the assumptions. Therefore, ask questions before you give critical feedback - e.g. "How did you arrive at this result?" and be especially aware that you have received an open invitation for criticism before you give it. Preferably give your criticism on camera, and alternatively over a phone call. Body language and tone of voice make a difference in sensing good intention.
Also be aware that some of your employees may need extra coaching and developmental feedback on some tasks during these times. Therefore, continuously communicate that you are available if they need support.
Evaluative feedback
Keep your team and employees clear on what you know about the future. Clarification on bad news is better than no clarification. For example, what do you expect from your team in the coming weeks?
At the same time, it's a good idea to check in with your employees weekly - and maybe even daily - about their work and efforts. Many employees may be unsure if they're doing enough in these times - and if anyone is even noticing their efforts.
What can I do as an employee?
Recognitive feedback
Recognize your colleagues (and your manager too!) for the little things you do well during these times.
For example, tell your colleague that you appreciate them taking the time to ask about your day-to-day life, even though it may not be the most pressing work-related issue right now.
Remember to thank people who help you with your tasks. We're all pressed with our own individual tasks under difficult circumstances, so it's especially important to acknowledge when people take the time to help you.
Developmental feedback
If you find that you're no longer getting the same amount of developmental feedback and coaching on your tasks as you used to, it may require you to be more proactive in seeking it out.
Ask your colleagues and manager in good time if you can borrow some of their time to get some feedback on a task you're struggling with, for example, when/if you check in with each other in the morning virtually.
Also, prepare some specific things you would like feedback on. (See our resource with 40 great questions you can get inspiration from)
Evaluative feedback
If you have an increased need for clarity and certainty in these times, make it known. Your manager may not be able to promise you clarification on specific work-related issues if the company is facing layoffs, but ask yourself which parts of your work and deliverables you need clarification and certainty on that would be reasonable to get answers to.
For example, ask "What am I expected to accomplish work-wise over the next 3 weeks while we work at home?"
Show humanity at a distance
Therefore, my advice is to have an open dialog about what special needs you individually have in these Corona times, as well as what needs you may feel are not being met.
In this way, we can best ensure that our needs are met, allowing us to be happy, motivated and perform at our best in an unreal reality.
Are you curious how you can connect even better with your team in these times?
Then click on the the link hereand watch the recording of our webinar on this very topic.
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