Anonymous Feedback

Feedback is an important process of self realisation and improvement. In terms of our ID (Individual Dynamics) learning, it helps us reduce the size of our blind self.

We have this concept in the institute where people are requested/allowed to give feedback to others in their junior/senior batch, through a particular website. Unfortunately, the feedback is allowed to be anonymous. Some people reveal their names out of their own volition, while some do not. Then the very idea of feedback gets warped in the sense that people who dare not say some things to your face seek the cover of anonymity to settle their petty grievances.

It seems a rather cowardly thing to do to take cover under this system and use it to vituperate against people with whom they have a grudge. This thing has happened with a few of my batchmates and it leaves a very unpleasant feeling with absolutely nothing constructive to work on for the person concerned.

When we did our course in SBC (Spoken Business Communication, for the uninitiated), we were taught some of the characteristics of good feeback ; it was supposed to be direct, controllable by the recipient of the feedback and so on. But this system of anonymity seems to bring out the worst in some people and defeats the purpose itself.

Mind you, I am not saying that this system is all bad. Not at all. In fact, I have received some valuable feedback myself and it has set me thinking on the right lines (hopefully ;-)). The only thing is that it acts as a convenient cover for some people which they use to the fullest.

The natural reaction for someone who receives unpleasant anonymous feedback is to become defensive. But once we realise that our reactions to such feedback is the first thing preventing change, we can hopefully overcome this initial reaction and try to use the feedback to mould our responses.

Again, if the feedback is just a set of gaalis, then it is just a waste of time to even think about it... hard though it may be. Well, I guess I am a die-hard optimist anyway and believe that there are positive things to be gained from every experience. This feedback idea is a novel one as far as I am concerned, at least in terms of its implementation. Whether this will stand the test of time, however, remains to be seen.

Sitan