be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it for them. Chances are that if you find yourself explaining or telling an individResearch undertaken in the late 90’s discovered that 360 degree feedback had more impact on below-average performers but that the worst of performers rarely changed as a result of feedback. Why is this the case? Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) provides some insight.

They have fixed perceptions of themselves

PCP suggests that self perceptions don’t exist in isolation but are linked in elaborate networks. Some of our perceptions are core and explain how we see ourselves. Not surprisingly, core self perceptions are difficult to change – so many other beliefs about ourselves depend on them. The worst of performers are those who have been in their job for a long time but failed to change with the times. They have fixed perceptions of their job which are loosely linked to how they see themselves. Feedback which questions their performance in the job therefore questions their core self perceptions. This is difficult for an individual to take on board and even more difficult to get them to change their behaviour.

They have previously been given positive feedback

Researchers at Duke University recently discovered that resistance to change may often stem from an individual’s failure to absorb and process negative feedback about a project when they had previously received positive or encouraging feedback about a project’s potential. Earlier positive feedback caused the individuals to distort or give less weight to the negative information which came along later on. The same could be said of feedback. If an organization has not been honest with an underperformer over the years, it will be nearly impossible to ‘correct’ an individual’s perception.

They are expected to understand and believe the feedback

Giving feedback, particularly critical feedback, can be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it for them. Chances are that if you find yourself explaining or telling an individu

core and explain how we see ourselves. Not surprisingly, core self perceptions are difficult to change – so many other beliefs about ourselves depend on them. The worst of performers are those who have been in their job for a long time but failed to change with the times. They have fixed perceptions of their job which are loosely linked to how they see themselves. Feedback which questions their performance in the job therefore questions their core self perceptions. This is difficult for an individual to take on board and even more difficult to get them to change their behaviour.

They have previously been given positive feedback

Researchers at Duke University recently discovered that resistance to change may often stem from an individual’s failure to absorb and process negative feedback about a project when they had previously received positive or encouraging feedback about a project’s potential. Earlier positive feedback caused the individuals to distort or give less weight to the negative information which came along later on. The same could be said of feedback. If an organization has not been honest with an underperformer over the years, it will be nearly impossible to ‘correct’ an individual’s perception.

They are expected to understand and believe the feedback

Giving feedback, particularly critical feedback, can be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it for them. Chances are that if you find yourself explaining or telling an individ

perceptions. This is difficult for an individual to take on board and even more difficult to get them to change their behaviour.

They have previously been given positive feedback

Researchers at Duke University recently discovered that resistance to change may often stem from an individual’s failure to absorb and process negative feedback about a project when they had previously received positive or encouraging feedback about a project’s potential. Earlier positive feedback caused the individuals to distort or give less weight to the negative information which came along later on. The same could be said of feedback. If an organization has not been honest with an underperformer over the years, it will be nearly impossible to ‘correct’ an individual’s perception.

They are expected to understand and believe the feedback

Giving feedback, particularly critical feedback, can be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it for them. Chances are that if you find yourself explaining or telling an individ

otential. Earlier positive feedback caused the individuals to distort or give less weight to the negative information which came along later on. The same could be said of feedback. If an organization has not been honest with an underperformer over the years, it will be nearly impossible to ‘correct’ an individual’s perception.

They are expected to understand and believe the feedback

Giving feedback, particularly critical feedback, can be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it for them. Chances are that if you find yourself explaining or telling an individ

be difficult and awkward. When done badly it can have a long term negative impact on an individual’s motivation. Line managers, armed with this knowledge, often feel the need to ‘dump’ feedback on an individual, without helping them to understand and interpret the feedback for themselves. Only an individual can confirm or disconfirm their own perceptions; others can’t do it for them. Chances are that if you find yourself explaining or telling an individual what their feedback means, you will get little or no change in perception or performance.

What to do:

1. Explore the role first:
Spend a significant part of any feedback session (30 to 45 minutes) exploring the individual’s role, performance and concerns. Understanding the individual’s perceptions of the role and where they feel they may be underperforming will help prioritise the feedback.
2. Get them to come up with the answer:
Encourage the individual to work out what the feedback means for themselves. Get them to focus on just a few strengths or weaknesses. Facilitate a discussion rather than tell them the answer.
3. Be honest:
Be honest and consistent with the feedback. Review previous feedback forms to understand what has come before and build on earlier messages using the same language.