Getting Feedback Right on Diverse Teams

Challenges of Diversity and Feedback

Diverse teams and organizations can outperform homogeneous ones, but giving and receiving feedback is a crucial area where they often fall short. Different individuals have different expectations around feedback. Open and direct feedback may not work well in diverse groups as people are often not ready to hear feedback from those they don't feel safe with. Diversity can include gender, age, and cultural differences. These differences can create challenges in receiving feedback, such as age-based discomfort and power dynamics, or gender-based issues like mansplaining or mansplaining. Raising awareness, setting up routine feedback mechanisms, and using the three A's of feedback (aim to assist, actionable, ask for feedback) can help bridge these divides.