As I wrote about here at Harvard Business Publishing, I came up with the employee feedback literacy concept and the definition (in 2022) thanks to being inspired by a 2010 paper in Practitioner Research in Higher Education which put forth the idea of student feedback literacy.
Over the years, academic research around student feedback literacy has been quite fascinating to watch unfold. In parallel, I’ve been exploring practical applications of feedback in workplaces, which I also share in my Feedback Guide. As each has evolved, I’ve been testing ideas in my classes at the University of San Francisco, in my work at Cisco, and in the feedback training I offer. These environments allowed me to refine and make more accessible the concept of feedback literacy for my students and for employees around the world.
Today, I define employee feedback literacy as the following:
Employee feedback literacy is the capacity for employees to effectively seek, give, receive, process, and use feedback.
– Cameron Conaway
Defining the employee feedback literacy parts
As I present this definition, I’m often asked how I define each of the five parts. I also originally published these in the Harvard Business Publishing article. Here they are:
Seeking feedback
The proactive pursuit of constructive, specific, and actionable insights from others to enhance one’s own performance and development. Effective feedback seekers are open to and capable of learning from positive and negative feedback. They seek feedback indirectly through observation and directly by asking questions. They clearly articulate their need for feedback while ensuring the feedback giver has the space and context to deliver it effectively.
Giving feedback
The ability to provide constructive, specific, and actionable insights to others in a clear, respectful, and supportive manner. Effective feedback givers can offer both positive and negative feedback. They clearly state the context and observed behavior, working toward mutual understanding by inviting the feedback receiver into a dialogue that feels psychologically safe for all participants.
Receiving feedback
The ability to actively listen, acknowledge, and use constructive conversational techniques to understand what a feedback giver tries to convey in the moment. Effective feedback receivers are receptive to and capable of extracting value from positive and negative feedback. They seek clarification when needed, refrain from agreeing or disagreeing with the feedback until they fully understand it, and spend time reflecting on the conversation.
Processing feedback
The ability to explore the feelings that arise, mindfully analyze, and ultimately decide whether or not to adopt received feedback. With particularly challenging feedback, effective feedback processors ask the giver for space to reflect. They strive to develop a fuller sense of the situation and the giver’s intention. To gain a clearer perspective, they may share the feedback with people they respect and who have seen their work.
Using feedback
The application of constructive, specific, and actionable insights gained from feedback to improve performance. Effective feedback users thoughtfully consider if, when, and how to use received feedback. They strategically plan their changes to suit the context appropriately (e.g., fixing typos immediately while gradually increasing meeting participation). They monitor the impact of these changes and seek further feedback on them.
Download employee feedback literacy graphic
Get Feedback Tips Weekly on LinkedIn
You will be joining over 1,000 other leaders in nearly every industry.
Employee Feedback Literacy: Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is employee feedback literacy?
Employee feedback literacy is the capacity for employees to effectively seek, give, receive, process, and use feedback. The term was coined by Cameron Conaway in 2022 to capture the full range of skills employees need to navigate feedback-rich environments and foster personal and organizational growth.
2. Why is employee feedback literacy important?
Employee feedback literacy is a key driver of organizational innovation, learning, and resilience. When employees are skilled in seeking, giving, receiving, processing, and using feedback, they help create a culture where communication flows openly, challenges are spotted quickly and addressed collaboratively, individual performance and retention improves, trust deepens, and the organization itself becomes more capable of creating and executing on important innovation.
3. What are the five components of employee feedback literacy?
The five components of employee feedback literacy are:
1. Seeking feedback — Proactively pursuing insights to grow
2. Giving feedback — Offering constructive and actionable input
3. Receiving feedback — Listening openly and understanding feedback
4. Processing feedback — Reflecting on and evaluating feedback
5. Using feedback — Applying feedback to improve performance
4. How does employee feedback literacy differ from general communication skills?
While general communication skills involve broad abilities like clarity, persuasion, and collaboration, employee feedback literacy specifically focuses on the complex, emotional, and action-oriented dynamics of feedback interactions. It equips employees to navigate feedback conversations with curiosity, empathy, and accountability. Feedback-literate organizations are those that provide employees with the feedback skills they need to tap each others’ collective wisdom, speak up when it matters most, and, especially in competitive business environments, to drive organizational innovation.
5. How can organizations build employee feedback literacy?
Organizations can build employee feedback literacy through targeted training, coaching, and cultural initiatives. Effective programs teach employees how to seek feedback proactively, give it constructively, receive it openly, process it mindfully, and apply it meaningfully. Leadership modeling and ongoing reinforcement are critical to success. Cameron Conaway offers training and consulting services to help organizations build employee feedback literacy. See more here.
6. Is employee feedback literacy relevant for leaders?
Yes—leaders benefit tremendously from strong feedback literacy. Leaders who model effective feedback behaviors foster trust, encourage learning, and create psychological safety in their teams. Unfortunately, very few organizations make employee feedback literacy a key part of their leadership development programs despite it being a core component of both innovation and effective management. In 2023, Cameron Conaway brought many of these core employee feedback literacy concepts to Cisco, making Cisco the first major company to begin taking a holistic approach to feedback literacy development.
7. How does employee feedback literacy impact organizational innovation?
Organizations with high feedback literacy levels are more likely to surface diverse perspectives, identify opportunities for improvement, and quickly adapt to change—all of which fuel innovation. Feedback-literate employees help create an environment where ideas can be shared, tested, and refined without fear. Cameron Conaway’s current PhD research is exploring the many intersections between feedback and innovation.
8. How does employee feedback literacy relate to employee engagement?
Employees who feel comfortable seeking and giving feedback are more engaged in their work and more connected to their teams. Feedback literacy fosters a sense of voice, growth, and psychological safety, which are key drivers of engagement, retention, and performance. As many studies show, a lack of feedback or poor feedback is a key reason why employees disengage and eventually leave their employer.
9. Is employee feedback literacy teachable?
Yes. While some employees may have natural strengths in certain components of feedback literacy, the skills involved can be taught and developed through deliberate practice. Structured programs, role modeling, and a supportive culture all contribute to building feedback literacy over time. While Cameron Conaway offers training and will be working on a certificate “train the trainer” type of programming, leaders everywhere can pick up the core concepts he has created and launch their own training programs.
10. Who coined the term employee feedback literacy?
The term employee feedback literacy was coined by Cameron Conaway in 2022. It builds upon prior research in student feedback literacy and adapts the concept for practical use in workplace contexts. Conaway has since advanced this concept through research, teaching, and feedback training programs.