If we can't see our mistakes, our competence declines

[Don Coyote]

This reminds me of "Government Runs on Bad Signal"

[Pæs]

This is highly interesting. And it makes want to e-mail this whole thread to my old boss. Here's why what you are doing is 100% counter-productive, you fuck-wit.

Except he won't listen, because you're not inside his parameters for feedback.

See, I knew my occasional historical "here's some feedback about why you're a dick for your own good" conversations with people were just me wanting to yell at them but until this sentence I didn't FULLY understand why they were no more than that.

[Telarus]

Very good find, thanks Nigel!

[Reginald Ret]

Cool!
I already give quite a lot of feedback at work, but i will endeavor to make more of a point of it.
Luckily we have a general rule here: If you make a mistake you get to fix it yourself.

[GrannySmith]

I like this article a lot - when I'm back from the doc i'm sending this to certain people i know  (after i read it again myself)

and it explains a lot for me too, for people of all ages! 

[tyrannosaurus vex]

Is the reverse true? I'm imagining a link between this phenomenon and the (future?) practice of governments purposely initiating, funding, and motivating violent opposition movements. If consistent synthetic false positive feedback results in declining performance, would intentional sabotage and synthetic negative feedback to an otherwise effective process result in performance gains?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Is the reverse true? I'm imagining a link between this phenomenon and the (future?) practice of governments purposely initiating, funding, and motivating violent opposition movements. If consistent synthetic false positive feedback results in declining performance, would intentional sabotage and synthetic negative feedback to an otherwise effective process result in performance gains?

Nope. Accurate feedback result in accurate performance gains, inaccurate feedback results in inaccurate performance gains.

[Doktor Howl]

I read this every day before the morning meeting.

For my own benefit, not for laughing at assholes.  I do that anyway.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I read this every day before the morning meeting.

For my own benefit, not for laughing at assholes.  I do that anyway.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I read this every day before the morning meeting.

For my own benefit, not for laughing at assholes.  I do that anyway.

Excellent idea!!

[Golden Applesauce]

Remember that accurate feedback also includes telling people when they've done well. If people put in extra effort to do something the right way but don't get any feedback that the extra effort added extra value, they'll eventually start cutting corners.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Remember that accurate feedback also includes telling people when they've done well. If people put in extra effort to do something the right way but don't get any feedback that the extra effort added extra value, they'll eventually start cutting corners.

Damn straight! If they get no positive feedback, they have no reinforcement, they have no positive outcome... so there's nothing to keep them going in the right direction.

I think we see that sometimes here on PD. Occasionally, we're all in a mood where we shit on each others heads and it rolls into a big mess... other times, we shit on each other AND give mittens where due and the quality of discussion seems to rise.