Feedback is a process in which information about the past or the present influences the same

phenomenon in the present or future. As part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop,
the event is said to "feed back" into itself.
Process in which the effect or output of an action is 'returned' (fed-back) to modify the next action.
Feedback is essential to the working and survival of all regulatory mechanisms found throughout living
and non-living nature, and in man-made systems such as education system and economy. As a two-way
flow, feedback is inherent to all interactions, whether human-to-human, human-to-machine, or
machine-to-machine. In an organizational context, feedback is the information sent to an entity
(individual or a group) about its prior behavior so that the entity may adjust its current and future
behavior to achieve the desired result. Feedback occurs when an environment reacts to an action or
behavior.
Negative feedback, or corrective comments about past behavior. These are things that didnt go well.
Positive feedback, or affirming comments about past behavior. These are things that went well and need
to be repeated.
Negative feedforward, or corrective comments about future behavior. These are things that dont need
to be repeated next time.
Positive feedforward, or affirming comments about future behavior. These are things that would
improve performance in the future.
Feedback is commonly divided into two typesusually termed positive and negative. The terms can be
applied in two contexts:
1. the altering of the gap between reference and actual values of a parameter, based on whether
the gap is widening (positive) or narrowing (negative).
[7]

2. the valence of the action or effect that alters the gap, based on whether it has a happy (positive)
or unhappy (negative) emotional connotation to the recipient or observer.
[8]

The two contexts may cause confusion, such as when an incentive (reward) is used to boost poor
performance (narrow a gap). Referring to context 1, some authors use alternative terms, replacing
'positive/negative' with self-reinforcing/self-correcting,
[9]
reinforcing/balancing,
[10]
discrepancy-
enhancing/discrepancy-reducing
[11]
or regenerative/degenerative
[12]
respectively. And within context 2,
some authors advocate describing the action or effect as positive/negative reinforcement or punishment
rather than feedback.
[7][13]
Yet even within a single context an example of feedback can be called either
positive or negative, depending on how values are measured or referenced.
[14]
This confusion may arise
because feedback can be used for either informational or motivational purposes, and often has both a
qualitative and a quantitative component. As Connellan and Zemke (1993) put it:
"Quantitative feedback tells us how much and how many. Qualitative feedback tells us how
good, bad or indifferent."
[15](p102)

The terms "positive/negative" were first applied to feedback prior to WWII. The idea of positive
feedback was already current in the 1920s with the introduction of the regenerative circuit.
[16]
Friis and
Jensen (1924) described regeneration in a set of electronic amplifiers as a case where the "feed-back"
action is positive in contrast to negative feed-back action, which they mention only in passing.
[17]
Harold
Stephen Black's classic 1934 paper first details the use of negative feedback in electronic amplifiers.
According to Black:
"Positive feed-back increases the gain of the amplifier, negative feed-back reduces it."
[18]

According to Mindell (2002) confusion in the terms arose shortly after this:
"...Friis and Jensen had made the same distinction Black used between 'positive feed-back' and
'negative feed-back', based not on the sign of the feedback itself but rather on its effect on the
amplifiers gain. In contrast, Nyquist and Bode, when they built on Blacks work, referred to
negative feedback as that with the sign reversed. Black had trouble convincing others of the
utility of his invention in part because confusion existed over basic matters of definition."
[16](p121)

Even prior to the terms being applied, James Clerk Maxwell had described several kinds of "component
motions" associated with the centrifugal governors used in steam engines, distinguishing between those
that lead to a continual increase in a disturbance or the amplitude of an oscillation, and those that lead
to a decrease of the same.
[19]

Negative Feedback
Negative feedback, or corrective comments about past behavior.
Negative feedback is the process of pointing out what someone is doing poorly and telling him how to
change it. A reprimand, a punishment, a demotion, removal from activity something bad from the
perspective of the employee. This should be used when performance does not meet the standard due to
a personal characteristic, behavior (behaviour) or attitude of the individual. It also can involve telling a
person that the attitude he is displaying is inappropriate or that certain behaviors and habits are causing
problems. A manager can deliver negative feedback whether the employee's actions are intentional or
not.
Positive Feedback
Positive feedback, or affirming comments about past behavior.
Positive feedback works on the premise of building on a person's strengths. It tells an employee what he
is doing well and praises him for good performance. It is utilized when performance meets or exceeds
the standard. The theory behind positive feedback is that if you a tell a person what he is doing well,
that person will likely repeat the behavior to secure continued approval. Managers can give positive
feedback in both a formal manner, such as in a performance evaluation, or informally, such as a
comment made during the workday that praises work done.


Quantitative feedback is an evaluation performed on the basis of measurable outcomes and metrics. It
provides concrete information about employee and company performance which can be used as part of
a regular assessment plan or in the development of new goals.
Some forms of feedback are very easy to quantify. In something like an employee review, the company
could note the number of hours spent at work, the employee's productivity in terms of what is
accomplished, and so forth. This can allow quantitative feedback to include topics like how well clients
like an employee, and how much the employee contributes to morale.
One advantage of measurable feedback is that it is possible to use the information in an objective
assessment of progress. The use of objective information helps companies compare conditions before
and after changes, and determine how much progress is made with those changes.
Qualitative feedback is a body of observations and responses to one's work or performance that is
based on comparisons and descriptions of characteristics in a non-numerical manner. Such feedback is
often useful because it allows those giving the feedback to be more specific about what they do or do
not like and what they believe could be improved. Such data is often gathered through surveys asking
participants to rate various facets of the subject's performance on a given numerical scale.
Many people favor qualitative feedback because it provides more precise explanations for areas that
need improvement or those that should not be changed.
This type of feedback is not, however, always as useful for individuals in management who need to
make decisions about their subordinates. Almost any profession can benefit from qualitative feedback.
Such feedback may, for instance, draw a writer's attention to persistent flaws in his work. Even athletes,
whose performance is often precisely quantified, often benefit from qualitative descriptions of the
problems with their athletic performances.

Definition of Constructive Feedback?
Answer
Constructive feedback can be defined as that communication which alerts a person on an area in which
his/her performance could improve. Offering constructive feedback helps leaders and managers to
achieve the results they want as well as expressing appreciation to workers or employees.