Page 97 - Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management, 5th Edition

CikguOnline
2208_Ch06_071-090.qxd 11/6/09 5:57 PM Page 84
84 unit 2 | Working Within the Organization CikguOnline
for both positive and negative messages. For exam- When complex change is needed (as with
ple, if you tell a coworker,“That was a good patient Mr.S.below),you may find that the person is aware
interview,” you have told that person only that the of the problem but does not know how to solve it.
interview pleased you. However, when you add, In such a case, offering to engage in searching for
“because you asked open-ended questions that the solution is appropriate. A willingness to listen
encouraged the patient to explore personal feel- to the other person’s side of the story and assist in
ings,” you have identified and reinforced this spe- finding a solution indicates that your purpose is to
cific behavior that made your evaluation positive. help rather than to criticize.
Finally, use broad and generally accepted stan-
dards for making judgments as much as possible Accept Feedback in Return
rather than basing evaluation on your personal An evaluative statement is a form of confrontation.
likes and dislikes. Objectivity can be increased by Any message that contains a statement about the
using standards that reflect the consensus of the behavior of a staff member confronts that staff
team, the organization, the community, or the member with his or her behavior. The leader who
nursing profession. Formal evaluation is based gives evaluative feedback needs to be prepared to
on commonly accepted, written standards of receive feedback in return and to engage in active
behavior. Informal evaluation, however, is based listening. Active listening is especially important
on unwritten standards. If these unwritten stan- because the person receiving the evaluation may
dards are based on personal preferences, the eval- respond with intense emotion. The following is an
uation will be highly subjective. The following example of what may happen:
are examples:
You point out to Mr.S.that his clients need to be mon-
■ A team leader who describes a female social itored more frequently. Mr. S. responds, with some
worker as having a professional appearance agitation, that he is doing everything possible for the
because she wears muted suits instead of bright patients and does not have a free moment all day for
dresses to work is using a personal standard to one extra thing. In fact, Mr. S. tells you, he never even
evaluate that social worker. takes a lunch break and goes home exhausted. Active
■ A supervisor who asks an employee to stop listening and problem solving aimed at relieving his
wearing jewelry that could get caught in the overloaded time schedule are a must in this situation.
equipment used at work is applying a standard
When you give negative feedback, allow time for the
for safety in making the evaluative statement.
receiver to express his or her opinions and for problem
solving. This is particularly important if the problem
Base Feedback on Observable Behavior
has been ignored or has become serious (Box 6-6).
An evaluative statement should describe observed
performance, not your interpretation of another’s Seeking Evaluative Feedback
behavior. For example, saying, “You were impatient
with Mrs. G. today” is an interpretive comment. It is equally important to be able to accept con-
Saying,“You interrupted Mrs. G. before she finished structive The reasons for seeking feedback are the
explaining her problem” is based on observable same as those for giving it to others. The criteria
behavior.The second statement is more specific and
may be more accurate because the caregiver may
box 6-6
have been trying to redirect the conversation to more
immediate concerns rather than being impatient. TACTFUL Guidelines for Providing
The latter statement is also more likely to evoke an Negative Feedback
explanation than a defensive response. T: Think before you speak.
A: Apologize quickly if you make a mistake.
Include Suggestions for Change C: Converse; do not be patronizing or sarcastic.
T: Time your comments carefully.
When you give feedback that indicates that some
F: Focus on behavior, not on personality.
kind of change in behavior is needed, it is helpful to
U: Uncover hidden feelings.
suggest some alternative behaviors.This is easier to
L: Listen for feedback.
do when the change is a simple one.