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HBR IdeaCast

Getting Feedback Right on Diverse Teams

Oct 24, 2023
In this discussion, Erin Meyer, a Professor at INSEAD and an expert on intercultural communication, dives into the complexities of feedback within diverse teams. She highlights how mixing different backgrounds can lead to better outcomes, yet often clashes with the need for candid feedback. Erin introduces the 'three A's of feedback' to foster inclusivity and constructive communication. She emphasizes the importance of establishing regular feedback norms and tailoring communication to overcome discomfort and power imbalances, ultimately enhancing team dynamics.
29:51

Episode guests

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Quick takeaways

  • Establishing norms around regular feedback and ensuring that it is asked for, designed to assist, and actionable can help overcome the clash between diversity and candor in teams.
  • Structured feedback routines, like meetings dedicated to providing feedback, can bridge generational divides and address different perspectives on the frequency and sources of feedback within diverse teams.

Deep dives

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.

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