A wide-ranging update on our culture has been taking place at Cupole for the last year or so, with an extra focus on increasing the amount of feedback to all employees. The focus of this shift is to help us develop and to be even better in what we are doing. Sounds pretty neat right?
Okay, so feedback is definitely something that many organizations talk about and are proud of how they execute. Mumbo-jumbo and Charlatan claims aside, having a strong feedback culture at work is as equally desirable as it is hard to execute.
One challenge companies face when it comes to feedback at the workplace is that it is:
- Vague, contains little in the way of instructions or new desired behaviour
- Too infrequent, only a few times a year
- Rarely aimed upwards in the hierarchy, but is focused downwards in the hierarchy
- Targeted at mistakes that have been made, rather than progress achieved
One of the major internal improvement initiatives implemented by Cupole over the past year is a new Performance Management model. One core component in the updated model is an enhanced focus on qualitative and frequent feedback to all employees.
At Cupole, we’re applying a model that highlights the need for frequent feedback, with Cupoleans giving each other feedback at least once a week. We have introduced something we call Feedback Friday. The names say it all, every friday we each take a few minutes and provide feedback to our team colleagues to help them develop and grow.
The idea is that feedback should focus on components or areas that have been done well or less well in relation to someone’s role. The feedback should also be forward-looking for the recipient. Forward-looking means that the feedback should focus on desired future behaviour rather than simply describing negative behaviour in the past.
“One important component in our work is that both junior and senior Cupoleans should actively ask for feedback from each other, it’s not just about junior consultants developing, but senior staff too. We certainly don’t want senior staff to stop developing just because they’re advanced in their careers. We all need to live by the same code if we’re to have a credible culture,” says Kristoffer Frenkiel, Head of People at Cupole.
There will continue to be a strong focus on qualitative, frequent feedback at Cupole, as we know that’s the best, easiest and quickest way to develop ourselves and our company – so let’s hear it for Feedback Friday!
