Conventional wisdom says you should ask your colleagues for feedback when you want input on how you’re doing with a project or assignment at work.
However, as Harvard Business Review writes, research suggests that feedback often has no (or even a negative) impact on our performance. This is because the feedback we receive is often too vague, and fails to highlight what we can improve on or how to improve.
Across four experiments—including a field experiment conducted in an executive education classroom—researchers found that people received more effective input when they asked for advice rather than feedback.
In one study, we asked 200 people to offer input on a job application letter for a tutoring position, written by one of their peers. Some people were asked to provide this input in the form of “feedback,” while others were asked to provide “advice.” Those who provided feedback tended to give vague, generally praising comments. But when asked to give advice on the same application letter, people offered more critical and actionable input.
In fact, compared to those asked to give feedback, those asked to provide “advice” suggested 34% more areas of improvement and 56% more ways to improve.
Why is asking for advice more effective than asking for feedback? As it turns out, feedback is often associated with evaluation. Because of this link, when people are asked to provide feedback, they often focus on judging others’ performance.
In contrast, when asked to provide advice, people focus less on evaluation and more on possible future actions, which can actually help make something better. Read the full story from Harvard Business Review.
