The reluctance to use the word “criticism” is real. In fact, in a recent survey of National Management Association (NMA) managers, as part of a collaborative effort between the NMA and Bright Enterprises, 15 percent of respondents said they believe that the word should be banned in their organizations. Another 13 percent associate the word with personal bashing.
In an awkward attempt to soften the word, some organizations have gone so far as to put it through the political correctness grinder, where it comes out camouflaged as “developmental feedback,” “constructive criticism,” “crucial conversations,” “caring confrontation,” “correctional advice,” “critique” or simply “feedback.”
What’s behind all this fuss?
One explanation might be that criticism is, at its core, rooted in negativity. For some, focusing on the negative is never beneficial and should be always avoided. Many of us were told repeatedly as children, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”
Whatever the contributing factors to criticism’s bad reputation and resistance to its use, there is one inexplicable cultural condition that may explain why the attitude regarding it continues. That condition is lack of training. We are taught in our early years the importance of showing appreciation and praising those who deserve praise, and that helping others is socially commendable. But how many of us have ever been taught how to give or receive criticism?
Rather than something to be avoided, helpful criticism is the most powerful method available to us for creating change. Leaders are paid to create change, but most have never been trained in how to give or receive criticism. Learning how to be a good receiver of criticism is equally as important as learning to be a good giver. In the NMA and Bright Enterprise’s national survey, an astonishing 60 percent of managers admitted to not having had any training on how to give criticism. The picture is even dimmer for receiving criticism. Here, 67 percent of managers reported receiving no training. Where does this leave the employee base in their respective companies? Have they received any training in feedback?
Undoubtedly, criticism can be very hurtful. It has the capacity to shatter a person’s confidence and rattle his or her self-esteem. It’s a powerful form of communication! No wonder workers associate criticism with personal bashing, bullying and insult. However, well-delivered, helpful criticism strengthens levels of trust and respect, can be a powerful change agent and motivator that boosts individuals’ and teams’ performance, and contributes to an environment where openness and transparency prevail.
Because there are two sides to criticism, it creates a dilemma for organizations, especially those in HR and training, about what to call it. Is there a synonym? The web offers such alternatives as denigration, censure, condemnation, disparagement and disapproval. Helpful criticism is none of these things.
Attempting to call criticism “constructive criticism” seems to be an oxymoron, since the two words cancel each other out. But the term does come close to what we mean by “helpful criticism,” which has the intention to help, not demean. “Developmental feedback” is too general and doesn’t accurately capture the full meaning of criticism, since praise could be considered developmental feedback also. “Crucial conversations” is too broad and vague; what might be crucial to the giver may not be crucial to the receiver. “Critique” comes pretty close, but it’s an analysis or assessment and can include both the positive and the negative. The negative exemplifies the criticism, but it does not imply a consequence if no action is taken.
What about simply using “feedback”? Criticism is a form of feedback, but the two terms are not synonymous. The negative connotation that characterizes criticism is, in actuality, where the discussion needs to begin.
Training departments can be of service to their employee bases if they include in their curriculum an understanding of criticism and the powerful, unique role it plays in the workplace and its people’s improved performance. Workers need to know that giving and receiving criticism is a skill that they must carefully learn. They need to know that criticism isn’t simply about correcting “bad behavior” or something to link with punishment. Criticism can and needs to be an aspect of communication that is used to help employees do something even better.
When criticism is viewed as helpful by the one receiving it, the result is motivational. The recipient of criticism is pushed to grow, achieve goals and be a more valuable contributor. When criticism is used in a helpful way, trust and respect flourish. Workers don’t have to second-guess each other, they solve problems in a more timely manner and they develop the sense that their teammates are looking out for them. The criticism-educated organization as a whole is healthier, because the workplace can honestly describe itself as open and transparent.
I’m not promoting the need for more criticism in the workplace – quite the contrary. What’s crucial is that when someone needs to deliver negative information, he or she is skilled in how to properly deliver helpful criticism, and receiver perceives the message as beneficial in both the short and long term.
