“Why Pacific Workplaces Struggle with Feedback Culture—And How to Fix It”

Pasifika businesses struggle with providing feedback. The feedback culture can sometimes feel “un-Pasifika”, abrasive, and even disrespectful. Here are some ways to make feedback more Pasifika-friendly!

“Why Pacific Workplaces Struggle with Feedback Culture—And How to Fix It”

“In many Pacific workplaces, silence isn’t always agreement—it’s survival. Behind every respectful nod may lie unspoken tension, and behind every unspoken concern, a deep-rooted fear of disrespecting the collective harmony.”

Throughout the Pacific, the concept of respect for the vanua—the people, the land, and the spiritual—is embedded deep into the cultural fabric. We are taught, from a very young age, to revere our elders and the wisdom that they hold. We are taught that this is to protect the mana and to keep the peace.

The iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) view of self refers to the relational self—the individual as a culmination of the relationships he/she has with the vanua. This relational self lives and breathes as one with the community. A disturbance in the force (to use a Star Wars reference) within the community would be felt by every individual and vice versa. Communal harmony becomes the desired state of affairs. This precarious utopia is maintained through highly regulated social interactions and norms. The language used is managed by the relationship between the speaker and the spoken to—i.e. you would use different tones and words when speaking to your parents than when you are speaking with your siblings. In this world, where we are raised to listen more than we speak, especially when elders are in the room, silence and indirectness are not avoidance, rather, they become signs of respect.

Where the System Breaks Down

The modern workplace can sometimes feel like the exact opposite environment when compared to communal settings, especially when it is influenced by Western expectations. The feedback culture in the modern workplace can sometimes feel abrasive and even disrespectful, due to the necessity of which information flows—timely, directly, and at most times, without the usual decorum we are used to.

When the value system “breaks down” as we know it, our monkey brain activates and we put up our defenses. We experience this so often that our response to most feedback situations is reflexive. We tend to put on a show of deference—polite submission—without listening to the feedback given.

We literally build a passive wall.

The “Passive Wall“

Instead of facing the situation head-on, in this case getting or giving feedback, we opt to dig in for a protracted slog in the trenches—to put up passive resistance to critique. On face-value, we smile and nod our head in agreement, maybe even acknowledging that their way is better but most times this is all for show. We then plot to be as disruptive as possible without really raising flags. We don’t follow-through, we nod in meetings without actually truly buying-in, we ghost change initiatives, and worst of all, we sometimes urge our fellow partisans to do the same.

“In our culture, sometimes ‘yes’ really means ‘I hear you—but I don’t agree.’”

This often leads to a decrease in productivity, although the higher ups may not be able to put a finger on where the leak is, if your subterfuge was a success. Most organizations in the world, not just the Pacific, are running on less than 60% efficiency due to passive resistance due to cultural clashes—such as the Western feedback culture and that of our collectivistic values.

This passive wall is mostly contributed to negative stigma that surrounds indigenous peoples, laziness. This is usually not the case or the full of it. It is often because of discomfort, fear, or cultural conflict. When we view feedback as being conflictive rather than helpful our fears start kicking in—the fear of losing face, of damaging relationships, or causing public shame. The same goes for whether you’re the person giving feedback or the person receiving it. Whichever one you are, feedback can suck!

Break the Myth — “Respect ≠ Silence”

What if feedback wasn’t about who’s right, but about helping the waqa (canoe) move forward together?

Respect and feedback can coexist if the two are culturally adapted. Respect does not equal silence. Respect is helping that person become better and understanding that feedback can help you get better.

Here is my vision for a culturally adapted feedback system:

Feedback grounded in relationships first.
The use of face-saving language.
Viewed as being for the collective betterment.

“Tools That Work for Us”

I once led a Pasifika team that consisted of a couple of Samoans, a Tongan, and a Fijian. When things went wrong, I had to be the one that faced the music with the big boss. So, I had to start giving feedback, which was such a stressful thing to do! I was scared that our relationship, the va that we had built, would be destroyed. So I mentally prepped, while trying to find an approach that fit within our cultural norm.

I said what I had to say and it went okay.

Since then, I’ve tried to develop my feedback approach, based on Pasifika concepts and though it may not be perfect, I think it’s an improvement.

Here are some actionable steps that I’ve come up with:

Use talanoa sessions for open, safe dialogue: By using all the aspects of talanoa, I’ve been able to make my feedback sessions more interactive with a “push and pull” approach; and tried to create a psychologically safe environment so that all parties understand that anything said is out of love.
Using metaphor and storytelling to express critique: Our brains thrive on imagery and familiar contexts. Through storytelling, we are able to get the main points across in ways that the listener is able to understand.
Training leaders to ask for feedback in culturally safe ways: We can’t simply ask “do you have anything to say?”. You need to gauge how much was understood; and that whatever the feedback, the person is free of retribution.
Creating anonymous feedback options for younger staff: Sometimes people are just not comfortable sharing feedback face-to-face and that is okay! Create that option of giving anonymous feedback. Watch out for pranksters that may potentially use this channel to wreak havoc.
Encourage feedback in group settings, not just 1-on-1s, to reflect collectivism: In an unrelated study that my wife and I helped out with, we found that Pasifika prefer group therapy over 1-to-1 sessions. I’ve surmised that this is because of our collectivist cultures and goes back to the days where families sat by the fire and listened to their elders share wisdom. Feedback sessions can also be modeled in this way because of the same reason—the feeling of safety in numbers.

Adapt the method, not the message.

We Know the Way

Our cultural values have sustained our societies for centuries for the simple reason that they work—in creating a cohesive and relational mindset. We do not have to erase our values to fit into the modern workplace, rather, we need to evolve with the times and integrate these two seemingly contrasting worlds together.

Creating a feedback-positive culture that is grounded in Pasifika values can only be possible when cultural and emotional intelligence lead the way. Contextualize and understand how our values could improve modern business processes, such as feedback. Imagine an environment that utilized the best of both worlds—a business that improved modern processes by introducing value-based (ultimately synonymous to people-based) leadership models, one that is rooted in indigenous knowledge? That is what our leaders can do. That is what YOU can do. Now the question remains, will YOU DO IT?

Our ancestors navigated the ocean by reading the stars—surely we can learn to navigate conversations that move us forward.

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Alfred Tora