Agile feedback is characterized by trust, collaboration, learning, feedback, and experimentation. It empowers teams and employees to figure out what they're doing well or how they can improve, and it encourages ideation and adaptation.
By using technology to bring surveys and feedback mechanisms into the internal workings of the organization, leaders are improving their own internal capabilities by defining, collecting, and analyzing their own data to create customized solutions for their unique needs and challenges. Agile feedback can have five key components.
Vision-Led
Organizations should have a high-level vision that employees are working towards. While teams can set their own objectives or goals under that framework, the overall direction and priorities should be communicated clearly.
Real-Time Data
While real-time doesn't need to be instant, people should have the feedback needed about their performance in a reasonable amount of time. If someone shares a quarterly report in January, for example, they should have feedback about that report well in advance of the next one - not at their annual review in November.
Quick Learning Cycle
Employees should be able to leverage the real-time data to learn and adapt quickly. What worked well? What didn't work well? They shouldn't fear mistakes or failure - all data should be framed as an opportunity for learning and development.
Continual Improvement
Ultimately, the goal of rapid learning is to remain in a state of continuous improvement. Developing expertise and innovation should be key aims that are made easier by having a vision, real-time data, and a rapid learning cycle.
Empowered People
Employees should have autonomy and feel empowered to make decisions, take
risks, and work towards a clear objective. This can happen within self-directed
teams with built-in accountability. As long as the organization is led by a
broad high-level vision, leaders shouldn't fear that employees will veer too
far off-track without more daily monitoring from leadership.