Open feedback

In an environment where internal communication is key to talent development, open feedback stands out as a fundamental practice to foster transparency, trust, and continuous improvement within organizations.

When we talk about open feedback, we refer to a type of feedback characterized by being:

• Bidirectional: meaning it can flow in all directions, from managers to employees, between peers, or even upwards.
• Transparent: it is not limited to private or hierarchical channels.
• Accessible: it can be visible to other team members or the organization depending on the implemented model.
• Continuous: it is not restricted to specific moments such as annual performance reviews.

Unlike traditional feedback, which is usually occasional and private, open feedback promotes a culture where sharing opinions, recognition, and areas for improvement is part of everyday work.

Let’s imagine an organization that implements a tool where any employee can give feedback to another after a collaboration or joint work.

A team member can:

• Publicly recognize the help received on a project.
• Share a constructive suggestion for improvement.
• Provide context about observed behaviors.

This feedback can be visible to the employee, their manager, and even the team, depending on the defined level of openness.

The result is a constant flow of information that complements formal evaluations. Within the concept of open feedback, we can identify different types:

• Public feedback: visible to the entire team or organization.
• Peer-to-peer feedback: without direct manager involvement.
• Upward feedback: from employees to managers.
• Real-time feedback: linked to specific situations rather than cycles.

Each organization defines the level of openness based on its culture and maturity.