Feedback
Today, in class, we spoke about feedback: how to give it, how to receive it, when to give it, when to withhold it, etc. When talking about the appropriateness of timing feedback, I was reminded of an all-to-familiar and frequent occurrence often portrayed in media: when a husband is attempting to assemble some new piece of equipment/furniture/bicycle (sans directions) and his wife is standing on the said trying to throw in her two cents. The last thing the husband, with frustration intensifying, wants to hear is his wife nagging about his performance. Most of us have probably been in a similar situation before and I'm sure we weren't pleased with the advice we were receiving either. This can be adapted to a work setting: someone is in the middle of something, very busily attempting to accomplish his or her job as a deadline approaches. In the middle of the chaos, a boss comes to complain about technique, as if could possibly help with limited time remaining. I have to wonder how much blame I should put on each person, for the workers agitation, in a time like this. Is it the manager's fault for disturbing the worker or is it the worker's fault for blaming the manager who is just doing his/her job? Sure, the boss is approaching the situation in the wrong way, at the wrong time, but does that justify the employee's feelings? This reveals a little about the psychology of a work place.
Comments