ABSTRACT
Experiments and discussions aimed at creating procedures for handling feedback derived from empirical studies conducted in the production units of a high-risk industry, research, observation, and operational support agents have allowed us to develop general guidelines in the form of proposals concerning the establishment of a feedback mechanism for an industrial unit. Our work is presented here. First we describe the context. Then we define feedback as a dynamic, multistage process. This definition shapes our proposals for the establishment of a feedback mechanism. To make feedback mechanisms more effective, one of the challenges is to ensure a transition from the current view of feedback as a means of control and reporting to one that understands it as a catalyst for an organisational learning process. In the third part we detail this challenge and the obstacles to meeting it. We believe several requirements must be fulfilled if a feedback mechanism is to catalyze an organisational learning process, and these are presented in the fourth part. The fifth part applies principles for implementing change to introduce four areas of investigation for the establishment of a feedback mechanism: organization and management; storage and application of data; exploitation of data; and methodology. We will conclude with a summary of our proposals for the establishment of an operational feedback organisation.
