Organizations - Human Resource Issues

The first concept this week that I found to be important in human resource issues is focusing on feedback, which is lectured by Kym Ward Gaffney and Michael Fenlon. Gaffney says, “Feedback should be considered a gift.” She defines feedback as a conversation, information, which helps to affirm performance. Feedback provides an excellent foundation for improving performance (Gaffney, n.d.). Gaffney examines why we have negative reactions to feedback. It is because there are two intentions of human needs: 
- The intention of people who need to grow develop. 
- The intention of people who want to be accepted in the way they are. 
Gaffney and Fenlon provide the five best ways to get feedback for people who want to develop their performance in their careers. 
- Ask for feedback  
- Watch your emotions  
- Ask questions to clarify
- Reach out for different perspectives

- Engage your potential 

These ways give others permission and opportunity to give you feedback first, rather than just waiting and hoping to get it. I think these five tips can prevent people from having negative reactions from getting feedback. I feel if I ask for feedback first, I will have a better reaction than getting some feedback unintentionally. I got one feedback that made me feel overwhelmed because I worked really hard on it, but it was not good enough for someone’s criteria. I appreciated that feedback because I could improve on my work, but in that time I got feedback near to the due date. It was my mistake that I did not ask for feedback first, but waited for it. People are sometimes so busy and they might forget to give feedback to you. After that case, I usually ask my colleagues for feedback because every project has a due date and I do not want to be in rush to make a change. I want to make sure if my work is good enough before turning it in. Have you ever had the situation that makes you feel worried to feedback? How did it happen? 

The second concept that I found important during this week’s material is mapping the terrain – a practitioner perspective in Evidence-based HR: From Fads to Facts? Wendy Hirsh and Rob Briner’s study tells what EBHR means to practitioners and the kinds of evidence they look for to support HR decisions, policies and interventions (2011, p. 16). To make an organization have potential human resource, HR practitioners should understand what is considered as HR evidence, and sources of evidence that they can use in making and developing decisions, policies, trainings, and interventions in career development. Hirsh and Briner examine four typical sources of HR evidence: external and internal evidence, hard and soft data sources, metrics, evaluation and diagnosis, and personal experience. According to Hirsh and Briner’s study, HR practitioners do not often refer to formal research literature, but a wide range of internal information was mostly cited, and also a range of approaches to benchmarking. However, those practitioners were often conscious of using different kinds of evidence (Hirsh & Briner, 2011, p. 20). In my perspective, all typical HR evidence sources should be considered altogether in HR decision making. HR practitioners need to balance all these sources to create efficient outcomes. This concept can guide practitioners in data evaluation stage.

How to Give Feedback: 7 Tactics by Margaret Heffernan 
This recommendation advises managers about how to give feedback to their subordinates. There are seven tips: 
- Dole out feedback immediately 
- Make it frequent 
- Offer detailed comments 
- Be appropriate, of course 
- Offer relevant points 
- Be careful with comparison 

- Make a difference 

This recommendation is not evidence-based and did not provide any references. It is based on personal opinions. There is no sample size in this recommendation. I would like to see the author provide some facts showing how each advice works successfully, for example, the percentage of employees who are satisfied when their managers give feedback frequently, immediately, and provide more details and being appropriate. Some kinds of research that I previously mention can support her argument. 

Time flies. We have passed six weeks already. We have one more week to complete this course. I have learned so many new things from this course. This week, I also have learned many tips on focusing on feedback, and what factors are relevant and important for EBHR practices. I found that learning about HR issues is not that easy, but more complicated. Maybe because EBHR is a new field of focusing study, I am not quite familiar with it. It is rewarding though.