Bridging The Feedback Gap To Empower Future Female Leaders

New research highlights the pivotal role feedback plays in the development of early career female leaders, revealing they are often exposed to feedback that is non-actionable, overly positive or delivered ineffectively.

Master of Business Studies graduate Kelsey Hoare conducted a series of semi-structured online interviews with female participants currently employed in leadership roles within Aotearoa New Zealand, each with at least three months and no more than five years of tenure and aged 18 years or older.

The findings revealed that under certain conditions, overly positive feedback lacking critical elements, such as ‘you’re doing great, keep it up’, proved detrimental to the development of early career leaders.

“Many study participants expressed a desire for constructive feedback but were left disappointed to only receive praise about their performance, with little guidance on growth or further development,” Ms Hoare says.

“Equally harmful were instances of non-actionable feedback related to aspects of a female leader’s identity beyond their control. A shocking number of participants received inappropriate and hurtful feedback concerning their appearance, age or gender.”

Ms Hoare says the feedback practices contributing to improved performance and advancement for female leaders included informal feedback, future-focused feedback and relevant mentorship and coaching.

“Informal feedback is often more manageable and allows for quicker adjustments, while future-focused feedback proves most beneficial for developing female leaders, rather than reflecting on past performances. Throughout interviews, a consistent theme emerged that confidence-building occurs through environments fostering positive reinforcement, recognition and engagement with a mentor or coach to support development.”

The research also highlighted gender differences that were considered to be contributing to the experience of women in the leadership pathway.

“Men were perceived as being less empathetic and sensitive to how feedback might be received, and more likely to use direct and blunt feedback approaches. They were also seen as more relaxed in receiving feedback, whereas women are often labelled as more emotional in the workplace and expected to suppress their emotions for professionalism,” Ms Hoare says.

While acknowledging these perceptions may stem from individual or organisational dynamics, the study underscored their impact on both the delivery and quality of feedback received by the recipient.

A standout finding for Ms Hoare was uncovering the long-term benefits of nurturing leadership skills and confidence levels in young girls.

“Participants clearly demonstrated that early exposure to leadership roles – such as sports captains or school leaders – positively correlated with pursuing leadership opportunities in adulthood. Those whose confidence was nurtured in childhood were better positioned to handle feedback in their careers.”

Inspired by her own encounters with inadequate feedback throughout her career, Ms Hoare wanted to explore whether her experiences were unique.

“I first came across a study based in the United Kingdom that highlighted the tendency for women to receive less actionable feedback and wanted to investigate if similar patterns existed in a New Zealand context. Discussing my research idea with peers, I found many shared experiences aligned with receiving non-actionable feedback. I recognised this as an opportunity to shed light on a potential factor contributing to the lack of females in senior leadership roles in New Zealand.”

Ms Hoare says she wants her research to highlight the need for further education, awareness and cultural shifts within organisations to foster appropriate feedback practices that enhance performance.

“The transformative power feedback can have in developing early career female leaders cannot be understated. It’s important that individuals and workplaces are investing in feedback education to contribute to female leaders’ success. This is how we can begin to level the playing field in terms of developmental feedback, mitigate the types of experiences highlighted in this study and ensure a higher percentage of female leaders are equipped with the skills to compete for and enter into senior leadership positions.”

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