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In the line of feedback

Porus P. Munshi

In the previous column (May 15), we examined the role of feedback in maintaining self-esteem and the objective of feedback -- to shape behaviour and not `inform' someone what you think about him. But why is it important to focus on a person's behaviour?

We often hear statements such as `change your attitude', `show initiative', `be more aggressive', etc., all of which are abstractions that cannot be observed directly but only inferred from another person's behaviour.

So, when a manager tells a subordinate that the latter has a negative attitude, he is not telling him anything really and only makes the subordinate defensive and resentful. The negative attitude is something that the manager has inferred by observing the subordinate's behaviour and it would be far more effective to allude to that particular behaviour. For example, the manager could say that in instances X, Y and Z, whenever there was a proposal for certain changes, the subordinate had raised doubts and even after these doubts were resolved he was not taking any steps to implement the idea/ proposal. A focus on behaviour gives the subordinate an accurate feedback without making him defensive or indignant.

If a person delivers a project on time, should his attitude be praised, his dedication, or his behaviour? If the manager wants to see more of the same behaviour, he should praise the behaviour. To be effective while giving feedback, a man ager has to constantly ask himself whether his statement refers to a specific behaviour or is based on inferences from a class of behaviours. Is he `describing' or is he `labelling'? Some of the problem words used regularly in feedbacks include dedicated, mature, conscientious, hard-working, positive, negative, lazy, unco-operative, unambitious, and aggressive.

An important part of supervisory skills training relates to the focus on behaviour which has wide implications in man management -- goal setting, behaviour modification, conflict resolution, counselling, training, giving feedbacks, and handlin g formal corrective action.

Why is it so difficult to focus on behaviour? There are two errors in perception to be contended with: the fundamental attribution error, and heuristics, or the tendency of the mind to take short-cuts and make generalisations.

The fundamental attribution error refers to our tendency to attribute anything someone else does to his own internal drives and inclinations and anything that we do, to external events. We underestimate the effect of the environment on someon e else's behaviour and overestimate its role when it comes to us. For instance, if someone trips over something, we say, ``Ha! Clumsy oaf.'' But if we trip over something, we ask which idiot put this thing right in the middle of the passage.

This inherent tendency to attribute another's actions to his inner characteristics makes it difficult to focus on his behaviour and that is why we use terms such as lazy, clumsy, unco-operative, etc. to describe him. At the same ti me, that person attributes his own behaviour to external compulsions. And that is how problems arise frequently. For instance, a man described as `lazy' by his superior, when asked why he does such a poor job, says that when he does a good job someone else takes the credit. A man described as `unco-operative' says that all his proposals get shot down so why should he co-operate with someone else's proposals? To each person, he does what he does for a `logical' reason.

Most boss-subordinate communication problems are caused by the fundamental attribution error. Sometimes this can go to ridiculous lengths. When asked why he constantly absents himself, a subordinate replied that his boss keeps yelling at him and that is why he doesn't feel like working. When the boss was asked why he yells, he replied that the subordinate constantly absents himself and creates a backlog of work.

Here, a vicious cycle of the worst order has occurred -- which is unfortunately quite common. Further, when each was asked why the other behaves in such a manner, the subordinate said that the boss was inherently nasty while the boss said that the sub was inherently lazy. And there you have the reason for the block in communication.

The second error in perception, called heuristics, causes us to make sweeping generalisations on the basis of just a couple of observations. For instance, if we see an employee sitting in the yard smoking when he `should be' on the shop floor, we instantly label him as being lazy or a shirker.

Once labelling occurs, objectivity ceases. Both the person giving the label and the recipient are trapped within a field created by that label and each becomes more or less a clockwork toy playing out its programmed role. We'll look at this more cl osely in another column dealing with the Pygmalion effect.

In the following sentences, try to differentiate between behaviours and abstractions:

1. Show more initiative.

2. Work harder.

3. Don't be lazy.

4. Do your best.

5. Change your attitude.

6. Tick the behaviours in this list.

7. Finish the report by 3 p.m.

8. Contact me if you have any doubts.

9. Feel proud of your company.

10. Try to be more friendly with your colleagues.

Sentences 6, 7 and 8 have a behaviour focus while the rest are abstractions. A number of respondents have difficulty identifying sentences 8 and 10 accurately.

The author is a Chennai-based HR consultant. He can be reached at porusmun@hotmail.com