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How IBM Changed Its Feedback System To Engage Millennial Employees

POST WRITTEN BY
Wes Gay
This article is more than 7 years old.

We all value feedback. There’s something within us that wants others to recognize our work. Why do you think the gold star sticker chart worked in elementary school? Because it’s a positive feedback mechanism.

We received constant feedback in school, whether through our test scores, graded papers, or coaches on our sports teams. As we finished school and entered the workforce, however, feedback began to diminish. Eventually, feedback on our performance only happened at an annual review.

The old systems of annual performance reviews no longer work in an increasingly digital workforce. Conditions change so quickly that traditional feedback systems leave us frustrated and unengaged. We know that feedback can help us grow in our roles. One Gallup study found that millennials are more than twice as engaged in their work when they receive regular feedback from their manager.

In our technological age, it’s easy to collect feedback. But what system do you use to collect it? How does that feedback translate into actionable steps and regular goal setting? What do you actually do in your company to use feedback well?

One example of using feedback to implement rapid change comes from IBM . The company has a long standing culture of feedback, but it was still tied to the annual performance review. Like most companies, employees would set goals once per year when they met with their supervisor. Those goals would only be evaluated at the end of the year.

IBM realized that this structure was no longer effective in the workplace. This kind of system does not account for employees changing roles, growing in their current roles, or achieving their goals quickly. Using a system like this also prevents supervisors from helping their employees grow consistently. Instead of giving feedback during teachable moments, it was relegated to an annual review.

With a high value set on feedback, IBM created an internal team to solve the problem. How could they develop a tool that reflects the feedback culture they want? None of the options currently on the market were a fit so they began looking internally to develop a tool that would help their employees achieve their goals and better align those goals with company values. I spoke with Michelle Rzepnicki, Director, IBM Performance Management, IBM, and Colleen Murphy, HR partner for IBM Cognitive Solutions, to learn more.

The task force introduced a system called Checkpoint. It’s a program that allows people within the company to give feedback to other employees, no matter their organizational rank. Having the ability to give open, honest feedback (that cannot be anonymous) to anyone else in the company has opened up conversations across all levels of the organization.

In the previous system, employees would meet their supervisor once or twice per year in order to review goals. Now employees meet in person at least four times per year to discuss and adjust goals. By discussing goals more regularly, managers are able to ensure personal goals are aligned with professional performance. They implemented their electronic system for 380,000 employees in 170 countries in a single day.

While you may be impressed by IBM’s efforts, you may also be slightly discouraged if you don’t work at a company that values feedback.

You now have an opportunity to do something new in your company. There may not be a formal system for feedback, but Murphy, a millennial at IBM, told me one question that anyone can use to start making a change: What is one thing I can do to improve? This question helps the person you're asking for feedback because it gives them a chance to deliver a straightforward answer. The specificity of the question focuses their thoughts, and it shows that you're looking for one actionable step.

Use this question after your next presentation to find out how you can be a better presenter. Ask this question after your next completed project to find out how you do better on another project. You can ask this question to peers or supervisors, and you may be surprised at the insight you gain.

Feedback is something millennials crave, because we want to make sure we are doing work that matters and that's up to par. If we are doing something poorly or ineffectively, we want to change so that we can contribute more and make a bigger impact at our company. We cannot change when we cannot see what we need to change.

To those that lead a team, place a high value on giving and receiving feedback. If not, then begin seeking feedback for your own work. You just might be the catalyst that sparks a feedback revolution in your office.