Feedback-a Rolls Royce solution?

Conventional wisdom says feedback is key to development of managerial talent and performance. If we’re lucky at some stage in our careers we’ve had an excellent boss or colleague who has really helped us move forward with timely, accurate and practical feedback.
Rypple (see below) offers a novel way of collecting feedback from a trusted network of key peers, mentors and managers. Through accurately framed short questions (e.g.) what do you think of how I chaired the meeting today? Employees can get online responses, anonymously if required. It’s a classic case of ‘feed forward’. Employees can build and manage their own coaching network without waiting for formal occasions such as the annual review in order to get feedback. Big brotherish?-Users say no. It fits perfectly with the Net Generation’s expectations and expertise.
Rolls Royce makes most of its profits from collecting and using the performance data from its engines whilst they are in flight. How about real-time data on your managerial performance direct to your Blackberry? “How did the presentation go?” No need to wait for water cooler gossip to drip through. It’s all there from your trusted network within minutes of the finish of your efforts.
How about extending this approach so that feedback can be linked to competency frameworks (with scaling) or values systems? Typically competency frameworks cover communication skills, people management, team skills, customer service skills, results-orientation and problem-solving. These are very close to the top ten feedback requests which Rypple reports as requests from its existing population of users.
If things are working well great, if not there can be collective action and accurate monitoring of the results of any changes.
How about the future? Sounds a little scary, but if the process is properly managed and if everyone sticks to the rules of feedback (i.e. Feedback should be objective, not judgmental, simple, supportive and above all actionable), this approach could be a real step forward but tread carefully.
Refs:
Rypple
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12863565.
http://www.rypple.com/index.shtml
Rolls Royce
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12887368
Competency
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/perfmangmt/competnces/comptfrmwk.htm?IsSrchRes=1
BOYATZIS, R.E. (1982) The competent manager: a model for effective performance. London: Wiley.
Feedback
BOB THOMSON Growing People Chandos publishing ISBN1 84334 213 8

From Thought to Action

After a group has worked together and been exposed to a lot of fresh thinking and ideas how do you turn thinking into action and promote the productive exchange of ideas.
Open space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology
has worked well for me at the end of a 3 day programmes when the object of the exercise is to promote reflection and action back in the day job. Takes time to setup.
Memorably the principles:
Whoever comes are the right people
Whenever it starts is the right time
Whatever happens is the only thing that could
When it's over it’s over

Were taken literally by one group who decamped from the hotel in Leicester Sq London where we were running the programme to the steps of the national gallery (having been shooed away from Trafalgar Sq )about 100m away complete with flip chart (see picture). Probably the most memorable session ever and the quality of the discussion wasn't bad either.

I've found Rich pictures useful http://systems.open.ac.uk/materials/t552/index.htm
Particularly if you employ a gallery format where interpretation of the rich picture is left to the Viewers and the artists keep silent until asked for their view.
Related to the question of volumes of folk (400!) is the Taking Liberties exhibition at the British Library (Free). The other two exhibitions are well worth a look to. Visitors are invited to put on a bar coded Bracelet which is used to identify them (anonymously) and enable them to vote on a variety of thorny Civil Liberties questions doted around the exhibition. This is also available on line at http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/takingliberties/interactive.htmlThe data is all collected plotted and displayed for viewing at the end. There is great use of a board and pads to collect comments at the exhibition’s finish.

Stay or Go the Classic Dilemma

Stay or Go?

Today‘s paper (see below) reports that Jean Le Cam who had been lying third in the Vendee round the world yacht race, took the risk of leaving his upturned boat after 18 hours and swimming to safety. This incident prompts thoughts about the general principles of survival and decision making. What contributes to the decision on the classic ‘stay or go?’ question as outlined in ‘desert survival ‘scenarios? Or the more general decisions, in business, about persistence and consistency versus moving on, through a proper regard for ‘ sunk costs ‘ and a healthy attitude to good money after bad.

Don’t spend your time looking up dead donkeys arses as my boss once succinctly put it.

Are there some general principles to predict how those in business, charged with making decisions will react? David Merrill’s work on personal styles could help here. Broadly he postulates four basic styles based inevitably around a 2 x 2 matrix using the dimensions of assertiveness and responsiveness.
Assertiveness defined as ‘the degree to which one’s behaviours are seen by others as being forceful or directive’
Responsiveness defined as ‘the degree to which one is seen by others as showing emotion or demonstrating awareness of the feelings of others’
The four Styles are then as below:
Analytical- less assertiveness and less responsiveness
Positive points: industrious, persistent, exacting
Negative points: critical, stuffy and picky
(Almost certain to stay) e.g. Gordon Brown
Driving-more assertiveness and less responsiveness
Positive points: independent, decisive efficient
Negative points pushy, tough, harsh
(Almost certain to go) e.g. Alastair Campbell
Amiable – less assertiveness and more responsiveness
Positive points: supportive respectful and willing
Negative points conforming, pliable dependent
(Almost certain to stay) e.g. Jack Straw
Expressive – more assertiveness and more responsiveness
Positive points: stimulating, enthusiastic ambitious
Negative points excitable, undisciplined re-acting
(Almost certain to go) e.g. Tony Blair

Refs:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/sailing/article5462404.ece
Personal Styles and Effective Performance- David Merrill and Roger Reid
People Styles at Work- Robert and Dorothy Bolton