Feedback Culture vs. Reality: A Corporate Dilemma
"Feedback culture" often clashes with corporate realities, where open-door policies don't always align with genuine openness.
"I 'love' the company values written on beautiful sheets of paper or painted directly on the walls as soon as you enter the office. One of the recurring ones is:
'We promote a feedback culture.'
That's why I 'love' it even more when management says during Town Hall meetings that they are open to feedback on the topics they’ve just presented. And that they are available to teams and can discuss our comments right at the desk. Open-door policy.
The problem is, it’s not true. At least not always.
I used to believe that it really was like that. Today, I understand that companies exist to make money, and managers must fulfill the tasks assigned to them by their bosses. Not everyone wants to hear comments about their work, even if they claim otherwise.
Sometimes, the stakes are too high. And I get that.
Still, I’d prefer if people who don’t expect certain interactions didn’t suggest otherwise. It would make everything simpler.
Money > Values. (though maybe not always).
