Previous
feedback neurodivergentie onderzoek
The impact of unsolicited feedback at work
Karolien Koolhof •
Giving and receiving feedback is often seen as the indispensable engine for professional growth and development. Feedback is a gift, or so the saying goes. But what if your brain experiences that gift as an unexpected bucket of ice-cold water?
We often think that feedback always helps us improve. But science says otherwise. Large-scale studies show that in over a third of cases, feedback actually causes our performance to decline (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). How is that possible? Good feedback helps you focus on your task. But when feedback is unexpected or delivered clumsily, your attention suddenly shifts to yourself. You stop thinking about the project you were working on and instead start stressing out: am I doing this right? Do they actually think I'm smart enough? That rapid shift causes a lot of stress and drains a mountain of energy.
Unsolicited tips are particularly problematic. This is commentary you didn't ask for, like a quick remark at the coffee machine or via a chat message. With a scheduled conversation, you can mentally prepare. But an unsolicited tip catches you off guard. Because you momentarily lose control, your brain is much more likely to perceive this as a personal attack.
Vulnerable
Management books often assume that everyone thinks in the same way (we call this neurotypical). But that's not true. Around 15 to 20 percent of people are neurodivergent. This means their brains process information just a little differently. Because most companies don't take this into account, these individuals become exhausted more quickly. To them, unsolicited feedback isn't just slightly annoying; it strikes a vulnerable chord. If we zoom in, we see that stress from unsolicited feedback works differently for everyone. For many people with (traits of) ADHD, managing emotions is an invisible extreme sport. An unexpected tip can trigger a very intense, physical reaction for them. In psychology, this is called Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). Whereas someone else might easily brush off the criticism, someone with ADHD traits often instantly feels harshly and personally rejected.
Hyperfocus
For people with autistic traits, stress arises in a different way. For them, predictability and deep concentration (hyperfocus) are very important to keep stimuli at bay. An unsolicited tip disrupts that focus abruptly. You suddenly have to switch gears, and that takes an enormous amount of brainpower. If this happens often, it leads to significant fatigue. For gifted employees, independence is incredibly important. If they are constantly being corrected unprompted on tasks they had already completely figured out themselves, it doesn't feel like help. It feels as though they are not trusted in what they can do. And that lack of freedom is a direct recipe for deep frustration and demotivation. What is a helpful tip for one person mainly causes palpitations for another. To help companies with this, I am researching this exact topic for my bachelor's thesis: do neurodivergent traits cause us to react differently to unsolicited feedback?
Help out
Do you recognize yourself in this story? Whether you have a label or not, your experience is worth its weight in gold! Please note: the questionnaire is currently only available in Dutch.
If you are a Dutch speaker, you can help me and science by filling out my short survey. It is 100 percent anonymous (the data on the first page will not be shared with us as researchers) and takes a maximum of 10 minutes. If you don't speak Dutch, sharing this post with your Dutch-speaking network would be incredibly helpful! 🔗[Click here to go to the questionnaire]
Together we can make the workplace a little bit nicer. Thank you very much in advance for participating and sharing.
About the author
- Karolien Koolhof is a coach voor introverts and gifted individuals
- Author of the book Introvert Leadership
- Contact