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Nudging vs. Nagging

Is your feedback inspiring or alienating employees? Here's how to help employees get more done...without creating more stress.

Feedback is failing employees. According to one Gallup poll, only 10.4% of employees still felt engaged with their work after receiving feedback that left them feeling disappointed or defensive. Eighty percent of these workers said they responded by looking for a new job.

What about workers who felt inspired or optimistic after receiving feedback? These workers are practically a mirror image of their demoralized colleagues: Workers who felt positive about feedback were 3.9 times more likely to be engaged, and only 3.6% of them were looking for a new job.

In other words, employees respond best when feedback nudges them toward success without nagging them about it.

What is a "Nudge"?

Gallup's polling also found that "positive" feedback that made employees feel good - wasn't necessarily effective. In other words, employees might feel inspired or hopeful, but they might not know what they needed to do to improve on the job.

Often, this disconnect lies at the feet of managers, who are aware of the problem. Gallup found that only 14.5% of managers strongly agree that they are effective at giving feedback to others, while nearly the same number - 13.6% - disagreed.

Where are managers losing their effectiveness when it comes to feedback? Often, they stumble on the difference between nudging and nagging.

A "nudge" guides a worker's choices without limiting their options or changing their incentives. Done right, a nudge induces a worker to choose one option of their own accord. The worker takes ownership of that choice because it's made without any pressures being applied from other directions.

Reminders, calls to action, and rewards or punishments don't fall into the category of nudging. Rather, they're all forms of nagging, which can trigger negative feelings in workers.

How to Nudge Without Nagging

Setting up a good nudge requires attention to three specific criteria.

First, a nudge should emphasize choice. It should make it as easy as possible for the worker to take the best path, because that option is simple to execute and doesn't require them to sacrifice anything else that matters.

Imagine you're a manager who wants your team members to take a specific training course. Enrolling everyone in the course and offering them an opt-out is a nudge. The path of least resistance is to take the course with everyone else; not taking the training suddenly requires more work than taking it.

By contrast, emailing everyone to remind them to sign up is nagging; here, it takes more work to take the course than not to take it.

Second, a good nudge is clear and straightforward. Leaders don't try to hide the ball by making other routes hard to find or follow. In the case of the training course, a clear and simple opt-out adds to the nudge effect.

Finally, the best nudges focus on the worker's specific personal skills and goals. Enrolling every worker automatically in the training that best fits their position or passions enhances the nudge, as does enrolling workers in training according to their existing work schedule.

Nudging Toward Year-End Goals

When it comes to meeting year-end goals, nudges can be especially valuable. The end of the year is packed with holidays, vacations, and school events for many people. With their attention elsewhere, many workers will automatically take the easiest choice available to them, whether or not it's the best choice available.

Many managers find the end of year distractions frustrating. Managers who use nudges effectively, however, can turn this distraction to their advantage. They can put workers on the right path simply by making the right path the easiest path to follow.

For example, imagine a team whose biggest year-end goal is the creation of an annual report. Managers can likely find dozens of little ways to help their staff complete this report without nagging. Small steps, like clearing schedules by reassigning tasks, can make it easier for staff to work on the report and feel good about doing so.

Building a Coalition of Nudgers

When in doubt, the first step is to ask your team what would make it easier for them to achieve year-end goals. Where can leadership remove roadblocks to make the path to the goal the clearest route?

Managers can also work with outside professionals to build a team that responds well to nudging. Collaborating with a recruiter, for instance, can help managers find the right talent for their teams - boosting engagement, spurring innovation, and encouraging everyone involved to embrace the team's year-end goals.