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Notes

How to make a sandwitch by Dan North

What is feedback

  • Tech lead role
  • Conways law

Systems theory

input -> simple design -> output

Feedback new inputs into the system with a delay

Adaptive system changes its behaviour when feeded with feedback

  • Accelerating loop: amplifies behaviour [positive] amplifier for a guitar [negative] financial aid, you make adiction [negative] meds
  • Diminishing loop: suppreses behaviour
  • Balancing loop: fedback tends to towards table goal
    • You help me I help you
    • The outlet of the factory has to be upstream (so factories won’t contaminate their own water)
  • Oscilating/trashing loop: feedbackflips between states
    • Like a shower, too hot, too cold, bad experience. If you introduce a delay you can control it a bit.

Timing in feedback is everything. Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent to people. Anual reviews, I’m gonna tell you something bad that you did 11 months ago any delay on receiving feedback means that you are basically going blind

  • Reduces responsiveness
  • Limits the options (to react to that)
  • Increases processing effort for the feedback (compared to TDD, continuous integrations, small frequent batches, much more controls)

Why do we ask for feedback?

  • To improve or modify our behaviour
  • For help, validation when we are stuck
  • For recognition, when we think we are doing okay

Why do we offer feedback?

  • To improve the system of work (improving the team)
  • To model a culture of encouring feedback
  • To control others
  • To demonstrate our superior knowledge

You have to question your motives, on why are you really offering feedback.

Feedback as a system

  1. You offer feedback or you get some feedback
  2. Feedback has to be heard
  3. Needs to be actioned. Go to 1.

All those 3 things need to happen, if not feedback is broken.

Delivering feedback

Feedback is about behaviour and is usually understood as a personal level.

“Your work is sloppy” heard as “you are a sloppy worker”

Better: Your work has been sloppy recently Much better: On this specific occasion your work was substandard Great, actionable: If you did these things your work quality would improve Awesome, give ownership on that feedback relationship: If you did these things it would make me happier

SBI model

  • Situation, specific: an example of when
  • Behaviour, what you did, observable, concrete. Avoid judging
  • Impact, is me, how I felt

Example:

  • Situation: In the team meeting on Friday
  • Behaviour: you spoke across me several times (other people also observed, no judging)
  • Impact: so I felt like I wasn’t being allowed to share my opinion with the team
                   ↑ I take **actions** based on my beliefs
                 ┌─↑ I adopt **beliefs** about the world
REFLEXIVE LOOP   │ ↑ I draw **conclusions**
our beliefs      │ ↑ I make **assumptions** based on the meanings I added
affect what data │ ↑ I add **meanings** (cultural and personal)
we select next   └→↑ I select **"data"** from what I observe
time               ↑ Observable **"data" and experiences** (as a videotype recorder might capture it)

_Author Chris Argyris “Ladder of Inference”, extracted from the book The Fifth Discipline

We always we have different layers of filters to talk to each other subconciously.

Structuring feedback

It depends on the level of trust, or level of safety, or level of vulnerability.

Porpoise feedback

Trained based on rewards. When you give feedback with just goodness. People are really kind to please you beyond what you asked for.

This is really useful when you are starting out and probably everything else is being done wrong, is important to start with something.

  • Offer specific positive regard
  • Assume everything else will self-correct
  • Everything else will self-correct

This is the best way you can interact with a new group, new team, new work mates. Or someone that just changed role. Just possive regard.

Sandwich feedback

  • Offer specific positive regard
  • Offer a growing edge (corrective)
  • End with general positive regard (everything was fine and continuous to be fine)

You need to genuily care.

“Atkings” feedback

When there is high trust (all safety)

  • Offer a growing edge

Receiving feedback

You just say “thank you”. No step 2.

All feedback has good intentions.