It is distressing to read of a school headteacher who took her own life following an adverse Ofsted inspection. It raises the question for employers as to how we feedback poor performance to employees.
Is our judgement correct?
Recent research shows that we are far less likely to be correct in our judgements than we think. Judges in criminal sentencing, for example, have been shown to make very different decisions in comparable cases.
As a tutor, assessing students’ presentations, I confess I found the process difficult. Why should I prefer one student’s presentation over another? Care is needed. Comparison can be invidious.
Daniel Kahneman’s latest book assesses a great fault in collective decision-making: Noise. Those tempted to rush to judge others (Ofsted inspectors do spring to mind) should read the book first.
You cannot inspect quality into a product or service
There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, of the appointment of an inspector into a pottery manufacturer. The potters questioned what the man (in the story it was a man) was there to do. “He’s there to spot flaws” they were told. Keen to make sure the man was not put out of a job, the potters decided to add a few flaws to the pots they made.
Bad feedback can be damaging
Reputedly, Margaret Thatcher never read personal criticism of herself. “It damages my effectiveness” she said. Jack Dee admitted that he could make a hundred people laugh but if one frowned it was that one person who stuck in his mind. I felt the same experience on the feedback sheets I used to get as a tutor. Most might give me “9”s or “10”s but if one gave me a “6” I’d wonder why. There can be a fine line at times between feedback and bullying. We must be careful that we do not have “an agenda”.
Feedback is a gift
“O, wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, An’ foolish notion.” Robbie Burns.
This is what feedback is, a gift. But it is crucial that is given as such and not as a demolition job.
Tips for giving feedback
- Be positive. I’ve lost count of how many times my gym trainer uses the word “brilliant” even when I am lifting fewer kilograms than anyone else!
- Ask the individual for their assessment of their performance. What do they feel they did right? What would they like to improve upon? Done empathetically the results can be revealing and remove the need for you to point out faults.
- Draw in their peers (in front of them not behind their back!) As peers they are likely to experience the same challenges and may have contributions to make. This works well in a training situation. It won’t necessarily work in a workplace, especially if peers see themselves as rivals. So, use care.
- Lastly, bring in your own perceptions of their performance. Empathy is the watchword. Resist the temptation to assume your skills trump theirs.
- At any stage only give as much feedback as the individual can take. The objective must be to pull them up, NOT to push them down.
Industry has long recognised that there is more to improving a quality of service than inspecting it. Indeed, in many cases, whether it is a school or a pottery, the very act of inspecting can be counterproductive.
As a past tutor in Further Education my personal experience of Ofsted was neutral. Neither particularly positive nor especially negative. But the question of whether it is time for Ofsted to go, is a valid one.
Malcolm Martin FCIPD
Author Human Resource Practice
Blogs are for general guidance and are not an authoritative statement of the law.