The culture of giving feedback in the workplace as part of performance management is generally viewed as a positive method for improving performance – and there is a lot of research which backs this up. But feedback can also be detrimental to performance if not done in the right way.

People professionals and leaders in organisations need to have an understanding of what makes feedback effective or destructive, and ensure constructive feedback becomes part of performance management practices.

This evidence review looks at the key lessons in making feedback effective, and explores how people professionals can implement this through policies and by building people’s capabilities.

See the practice summary for the main insights and practical recommendations for action. 

See the scientific summary for our methodology and technical information on the research and study references.

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