My blog this week will reflect on the balance of goal setting and feedback on individual performance.  According to our text if you combine the two it has a positive effort on overall performance. Along with balance, feedback is something that should occur around the time an event or activity takes place so those involved are aware of the setting that took place in relevance to the feedback received. (Brown, 2011) In this blog I will discuss how goal setting and feedback is adhered to within my personal work setting at the company I am employed.

Working in an aerospace manufacturing environment that is comprised of the C-130, C5, and P3 aircraft products. The products include manufacturing and sustainment needs, but are operated by a combined leadership including executive leadership and various program managers. Goals within our environment tend to start at the executive level steering around aircraft deliveries, new business, and ultimately the bottom line, or profits. Goals are then delivered down to the program teams where each employee develops their own goals and objectives for the year. Of course those objectives are supposed to be attainable and measurable as they would be the tool that is used for the formal feedback sessions at the mid-year and end of the year performance reviews. In my opinion of goal setting is not equal to all employees on the team, and individual performance is or should be variable based on their current skill and responsibility levels.

For example, Brown talks about how “eighty five percent of younger workers wanted frequent and candid performance feedback compared to only 50% of the older generation”(p322). This is a valid comment and I often see this in my team, I feel this is aligned with a person’s experience level.  My small team is comprised of five different skills sets and four generations. The newest generation, which is mostly our newest employees’, is learning new skills and their goals are tiered to learning the new skills, systems, and team members. They constantly solicit feedback, even it its just looking at a new idea or how to approach a meeting. Feedback could be essential in helping the newer generation obtain their goals in the workplace.

An article I found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) used the ideas of child’s game called “hot or cold” is a good example of explaining how immediate feedback was helpful to teach children know if they were performing well.  As the children got closer to the goal, feedback was provided that the child was warmer or hotter. Goal setting with feedback is a tool set that begins in games children play and continue on with is as adults.  Additionally feedback works better when its relatable to a goal, and its more effective when you tell someone they exceeded a goal by a percentage verses just telling someone they did a great job. (OPM, 2015)

I think brown was absolutely correct with defining that different generations require a different level of feedback. I personally enjoy feedback, but most valued when I have to give feedback to others.  In our annual reviews at the company, we can be selected as stakeholders for other employees.  Employees select their own key stakeholders, who provide a written feedback on the person’s performance for the last year. The disadvantage is those stakeholders could be the person’s friends or not someone who may provide only the good feedback verses the feedback that needs improvement. The employee does not see this type of feedback, unless the stakeholder sends it to them.  Because this feedback is directly related to performance reviews, I make sure to send what I send in to the leader to the employee, as I think they have the right to know if my feedback will impact their overall annual review.

When it comes to feedback I do not think you can receive enough. As leaders we are personally responsible for those we lead to include their performance and internal growth in themselves and the company. With our environment of Culture of Accountability (COA) Initiative, feedback is the key element of its design. It was a shock during last year’s performance review when my manager gave me my review, closed her notes, and asked me for direct feedback on how she did give me feedback. I stopped, and then of course gave her the feedback that she deserved.

Goal setting is something that is small or large to the individuals, organizations, or companies. We all strive to do well, and most often enjoy being recognized for performing well in something we set out to accomplish. To me feedback is the tool that allows me to know what I am doing well or not. It allows me to close goals, and create new ones. I believe in goals as they are roadmaps to success, as least to me they give me purpose.

Work cited:

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organizatinal Development (Vol. 8th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Educational Inc.

OPM. (n.d.). Performance Management: Performance Management Cycle. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from Office of Professional Management (OPM): https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/performance-management/performance-management-cycle/monitoring/feedback-is-critical-to-improving-performance/