With peer feedback, everyone in the company becomes the best version of themselves

Our path from a client’s request to a valuable product for all employees and managers

Why feedback isn’t yet commonplace

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools for learning and growth. But only about a quarter of employees agree “completely” that their bosses give them valuable feedback (Gallup, 2017).

So why is there so little feedback in companies?

  1. Lack of a feedback culture
    Often the necessary trust—the foundation of a functional feedback culture—is missing.

  2. No suitable framework
    It’s often unclear who can, should or must give feedback to whom, as well as when and why it should occur.

  3. Insufficient skills
    People have to learn how to give constructive and goal-oriented feedback.

Our Peer Feedback tool—from idea to realisation

We set out to find a solution to this problem. Peer Feedback isn’t just our idea; it was originally a request from a customer who was looking for a solution to help them develop their managers and make them better suited to future challenges. Through Pulse Team Feedback, we had already built up a great deal of know-how about employee engagement, feedback culture and New Work.

This project inspired us to take a deeper dive into the topic. We conducted in-depth interviews with many managers at different levels of organisations in multiple industries. In addition, we reviewed the scientific literature to identify the factors that are essential for successful leadership. Eventually, our research resulted in a collection of the most important leadership principles that apply now and in the future, including psychological safety, integrity and autonomy. During this process, we identified several findings that are important for feedback to be worthwhile:

  • #1 – Feedback requires a secure environment

  • #2 – It must be clear who gives feedback to whom—and when

  • #3 – Giving constructive feedback is a skill that must be learned

This was the moment that Peer Feedback was born.

Early engagement with users pays dividends

When we develop products at Creaholic, it’s always important to get the clients—or in this case the employees—involved in the process as early as possible. Here’s what that meant for Peer Feedback: as soon as the concept was ready, the next step was to create an MVP (minimum viable product) right away. As the saying goes: “fake it ‘til you make it.”

So we used an existing survey tool to simulate the prototype Peer Feedback process as closely as we could. Seven managers took part in the test, receiving feedback from 24 employees. In subsequent interviews it was immediately clear that the idea was well-received—a complete success. The managers appreciated that the Peer Feedback framework meant that they could also receive feedback themselves, rather than always having to give it.

Here are a few positive comments from the survey of test users:

  • «I liked how this created a framework so that I, as a manager, can also get valuable feedback.»

  • «I liked how the team members are motivated to give concrete feedback, both positive and negative.»

This early test also identified a few weak points. For example, the set of questions was refined, and we gleaned valuable insights for how to explain the tool to new users.

Here are a few critiques mentioned by the test users:

  • «I’d like the questions to be better differentiated from one another.»

  • «I’d like for every feedback provider to add a comment. Just giving numbers from 1-10 isn’t very useful.»

Iterative product development leads to success

With the hard-won expertise from the MVP, we set about further developing the detailed concepts. Our lean UX approach meant that we also took an iterative approach to the final product. We built new prototypes according to our best knowledge at the time, then worked with test users to evaluate and improve them.

During this phase we also made sure that the new interfaces were closely aligned with the existing Pulse user interfaces, so that users would have a unified and consistent experience. Our development partner Shiftcode then took over to implement the concept. Just four months later we had a working tool: Peer Feedback 1.0.

Peer Feedback is the foundation for leadership development

Today our tool is firmly embedded in our client’s leadership development journey. Before their annual performance review, the employees use Peer Feedback to get feedback that gives them a 360° view of their situation. Then they can choose appropriate annual goals and set the expectations for discussion of further development topics. In addition, Peer Feedback is an integral part of the leadership module that managers can attend as part of their training.

Pulse Peer Feedback is versatile:

  • 360-degree feedback: Get feedback from relevant colleagues and increase your leadership abilities.

  • Continual feedback: Get regular feedback (e.g. project feedback) from your immediate colleagues and from other people—anyone who inspires you and from whom you can learn.

  • Performance assessment: Check your progress towards goals and reflect on your own performance.

What makes Peer Feedback unique?

  1. It offers a safe environment
    Peer Feedback offers a safe environment for giving and receiving feedback, thereby fostering a culture of open, mutual feedback.

  2. It clarifies who should give feedback to whom—and when
    Peer Feedback provides the appropriate framework for the kind of regular and frequent feedback that supports ongoing learning and improvement.

  3. It’s an intuitive method for giving constructive feedback
    Thanks to an intelligent UX design and embedded insights about cognitive psychology, Peer Feedback makes it easy to give, analyse and discuss constructive feedback.

The result? Recognition of strengths and a clear path for individual development. Watch this video to get a glimpse of what the tool looks like today.

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Creaholic SA
Rue Centrale 115
2503 Biel/Bienne
Switzerland
T +41 32 366 64 44

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