Managers
Manager feedback survey
Upward feedback on its own tends to change rather little. The studies below suggest the follow-up conversation with the team is where managers make gains, so plan that meeting before you send this.
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What the studies say
A meta-analysis of 24 longitudinal studies found improvement after multisource feedback is generally small. The authors' wider review suggests it's likelier when the feedback points to a real need to change and the person accepts it and sets goals (Smither et al., 2005).
Walker and Smither tracked 252 managers through five annual cycles. Managers who met with their direct reports to discuss the results improved more than those who didn't, and improved more in the years they held those meetings (Walker & Smither, 1999). It's one programme, and the design can't prove the meeting caused the gain. We would still make the meeting compulsory.
Feedback can backfire as well. In Kluger and DeNisi's analysis of 607 effect sizes the average effect on performance was positive (d = .41), yet over a third of the interventions made performance worse, and effects weakened as attention moved from the task towards the person (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). That's why we'd coach managers to talk about what they did and leave aside what kind of manager they are.
For someone new in the role
Use the new manager survey first. It runs once, around week six to ten, and it's gentler on someone still learning the job.
Eight questions, every quarter or twice a year
How supported do you feel by your manager?
1 = not at all, 5 = completely
How clearly does your manager explain what is expected of you?
1 = not clearly, 5 = very clearly
How useful is the feedback you get from your manager?
1 = not useful, 5 = very useful
How fairly does your manager treat the people on the team?
1 = not fairly, 5 = very fairly
Which of these does your manager do especially well?
Pick any, optional
- Sets clear direction
- Gives helpful feedback
- Removes obstacles
- Recognizes good work
- Supports my growth
- Listens and follows up
- Protects the team's time
Which one area would most help your manager support you better?
Pick one, optional
- Clearer priorities
- More regular feedback
- More recognition
- More support for growth
- More availability
- More room to decide
- Nothing comes to mind
What is one thing your manager should keep doing?
Written answer, optional
What is one thing your manager could try?
Written answer, optional
We wrote these questions for this survey and they are not a validated scale. You can edit them once the survey opens in Gists. If you copy them into another tool, check what it records about who answered.
Before you run this
Decide in writing that these results won't drive pay, promotion or discipline, and tell managers that retaliating against a team for its answers is a serious matter under your conduct policy. A written comment can also carry a report of misconduct. If it reaches you, a duty to act may override what people expected about confidentiality, so agree with your legal adviser and follow your policy. Set where people report misconduct in Reporting and support (Surveys › Planning).
The decision it helps with
What should this manager keep doing, what should they try, and does the organization need to support them?
Running it
Quarterly or twice a year, on a schedule managers know about, and only where at least 5 will answer. Book the team meeting before you send it, because the evidence below is about what managers do afterwards. Decide up front whether results feed pay or promotion. We recommend they don't, and whichever you choose, tell people before they answer.
What the results might look like
These are made-up examples to show the patterns, not real data.
High support, low clarity
4.4 on support and 2.8 on explaining expectations.
- What it means
- People like this manager and aren't sure what matters.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't say they're a poor manager. Clarity is a learnable habit.
- What to do
- Agree priorities in the team meeting and write them down.
Fairness lower than the rest
3.1 on fairness and 4.2 elsewhere.
- What it means
- Some people feel treated differently.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't mean there's discrimination, and it doesn't rule it out. A survey can't tell you which.
- What to do
- Look at who gets the visible work. If the written answers suggest unfair treatment or misconduct, use your formal process.
Written answers disagree
half say “more feedback”, half say “leave us alone”.
- What it means
- The team wants different things.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't mean any of it is wrong.
- What to do
- Act on what two or more people say and ask the team what they'd prefer.
What to tell people afterwards
The manager tells the team one thing they will keep and one thing they will try, in person, and reports back a month later.
What to measure next, and when
Repeat in six months with the same questions. Improvement after feedback tends to be small, so look for the follow-up having happened.
Who sees a manager's results
Results show only when 5 or more people answer. A team below 5 rolls up into the team above it. A group is also held back when comparing it with another group could reveal a small team. HR and named leaders see every team with 5 or more answers. Each manager sees only their own team. Employees see no team scores. Themes only by default. Word-for-word answers are a company setting, off unless turned on, and employees see a notice before they write.
Related
Sources
- Smither, J. W., London, M., Reilly, R. R. (2005). Does performance improve following multisource feedback? A theoretical model, meta-analysis, and review of empirical findings. Personnel Psychology, 58, 33-66. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.514_1.x
- Walker, A. G., Smither, J. W. (1999). A five-year study of upward feedback: What managers do with their results matters. Personnel Psychology, 52, 393-423. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1999.tb00166.x
- Kluger, A. N., DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 254-284. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254