Key Pointers On Feedback In The Tech World With A Female Focus

According to researcher Hana El-Samad, “We, and all organisms, are an evolutionary masterpiece of multiscale feedback control,” which is precisely “what makes both the technological and natural worlds possible.” Challenging as it may be sometimes, feedback plays a pivotal role in fostering growth and development for individuals and organizations.

Yet, it can also be really hard to take! I know it’s taken me three deep breaths to think about how I’m responding to comments to better navigate certain situations, especially as a female leader in the technology industry. Questioning your natural tendency for self-defense is a skill we can develop. Throughout this article, I delve into different concepts of effective feedback in corporate settings and also pause on women’s specific stance today.

The Effects Of Feedback On Our Bodies: Why It’s Hard To Take

Feedback conversations are crossed by a social threat response that triggers our brains to react as though we’re in danger. Suzanne Ricard-Greenway confirmed that “This state of stress results in a decrease in cognitive functions, rendering it impossible to focus on or make sense of any information.” As she puts it, “The brain just wants out.”

What’s important to consider, however, is that even when people’s remarks may not stem from a constructive foundation or the word choice isn’t ideal, the message behind people’s communication can still be. If we stop to think and even write as much as three days later about a conversation, we can easily extract positive sides to our experiences.

People May Not Mean Any Harm: The Cultural Difference Factor

Far from thinking our colleagues, friends and family are just hitting us with derogatory remarks, it helps to consider people’s environments and the cultural backgrounds that cross all human interactions. Views are defined by experiences and perception as much as communication.

It really helps to consider cultural backgrounds in our corporate day-to-day. This applies to people within the same time zone but especially when dealing with parties across different continents. Just like we know there are differences between the European culture and the U.S., for example, or even internally across the U.S., keen variations also exist in how criticism is delivered between Latin and North America, for instance. Having been born in Uruguay, I feel people often take much longer to deliver feedback in Latin America. Latin American people also tend to take criticism more personally, even though it may be constructive.

Related read: Leading Distributed Teams: Leadership Styles for a Hybrid Workplace

Choosing The Feedback Model That’s Right For Your Business

The truth is, at work, we ultimately seek to convert negative criticism into learning opportunities. Communication in a safe environment—especially one free from disciplinary action—can further support these opportunities.

We can also fall back on numerous feedback frameworks and models. Perhaps the most popular one is known as the situation-behavior-impact (SBI) model. There’s also the McKinsey feedback model, which is focused on action, impact and what can be done differently. Yet, businesses count on a myriad of options. I’d recommend seeking the one that best applies to the technology industry as well as your specific culture to provide teams with more positive feedback processes.

We Need To Find The Perfect Time To Have These Conversations

Being flexible with the day or time of the week for feedback is important, as we need to consider when each individual or group may be at their personal or collective best before we can engage in fruitful reflective processes. Adding continuous follow-ups that include praise for positive change can foster long-term improvement.

At Nearsure, we created a 270-degree program titled “Nearsure to the Top” to provide regular feedback to our teams and support talent development and growth. The lesson here is that regular feedback in area-specific mentoring or through expert guidance can cut back on error margins while enhancing collaborative innovation.

There’s Also A Gender Aspect Of The Feedback Experience

For us as women, feedback can be especially crossed with gender identity, as we’re still subject to gender stereotypes in the workplace, especially in the technology industry, which has remained largely male-dominated. Research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology confirmed that “women may not receive the same quality of feedback as men.”

As a minority, we can be tokenized, a concept extensively touched upon via different means, including research by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). According to this long-standing theory, women are highly visible and “whatever they do is registered strongly by the group” in which they find themselves. I find this especially discussed in many women’s circles within tech: As women, we’re simply more prone to being scrutinized whether we’re performing well or not.

Women Can Make Work Better

The famous glass cliff phenomenon, whereby women are set to fail in crumbling business circumstances, is far from new. Yet, we know from the American Psychological Association (APA) that “Decades of studies show women leaders help increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication, and improve fairness.” Numerous other accounts show how female leaders boost profitability.

Understanding that feedback is based on a subjective perspective tied to a person’s worldview, the final question remains: How do we remove judgment on all sides to keep focusing on opportunity—not gender bias—to drive necessary change across the board?

This article was originally published on Forbes.com