Background
Feedback is an important means for improvement and acknowledgment. However, feedback must follow certain principles in order to bring a message adequately across. Oftentimes, feedback meetings are intended to voice criticism and feedback among co-workers is seldom. The field of positive psychology allows to consider feedback as a way to express gratitude and to promote self-efficacy and motivation.

Aims
Thus, a feedback intervention among co-workers for companies was developed. The study aimed at evaluating the participants’ reaction towards the intervention, at assessing their learning effects concerning the new way of giving and receiving positive feedback and at assessing their expectancy towards the future use of feedback.

Method
19 employees from four German-based companies were asked to give their assigned co-worker positive feedback in two sessions – the first focused on the individual’s personal characteristics, the second on character strengths. After the intervention, seven participants of two companies evaluated the feedback sessions in two group discussions; two participants of two other companies took park in single semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed according to Mayring.

Results
Results showed that the participants liked the intervention as they were able to build up a greater relationship to their co-worker and as they appreciated the focus on positive aspects and the PERMA-elements. This focus allowed the positive feedback to unfold its effects. Especially, the second feedback session was positively evaluated as it was more intense to reflect someone’s character strengths. The majority agreed on implementing positive feedback among co-workers as a regular practice. However, they claimed that constructive feedback is also necessary so that one can get impulses for improvement.

Conclusion
To conclude, the positive feedback intervention is of high relevance in the work context. The limitations of the study’s sample and methodology will be discussed. Further research regarding the assessment of the intervention’s effects as well as the investigation of its effects in the different stages of team work is necessary.