Strategy Survival Guide

Giving & receiving feedback
In Practice: SU Local Government Project
Informal feedback
The team leader frequently gave informal feedback to individual team members. The feedback was oneto-one,
perhaps over a cup of coffee, and provided a chance to chat about recent performance. Particular
importance was attached to praising good performance whenever this had been demonstrated, but the
sessions also provided the opportunity of talking through areas where improvement could be made.
Team members could request informal feedback, or the team leader could initiate the brief meeting.
Informal feedback was often prompted by a team member finishing a particular piece of work or stage of
analysis. Informal feedback usually lasted between 5 and 20 minutes, though the final length reflected the
particular circumstances of the discussion.
Formal appraisal
The team followed the required process for formal appraisal. This involved mid-year and end-of-year
appraisals based on the objectives set at the beginning of the project.
The appraisals involved the team leader talking the team member through their strengths and
development needs as measured against their objectives. Team members had the opportunity of
discussing the feedback and asking questions. The appraisal took into account feedback from other
members of the unit with knowledge of the team member’s work – to get a greater understanding of their
all-round performance.
Strategy Survival Guide – Strategy Skills
Page 63