Analyst’s Pendulum (Biology)
Our Warped Sense Of Feedback
Analytics and biology have long been interesting bed-fellows. There is a high level of complexity to almost any biological system. As a result, analytic concepts in biology often come with a stigma of high complexity. This is true even when a concept couldn’t be more … well, simple.
Positive vs Negative Feedback
Lot’s of people think they understand this concept. Many would be surprised that it is featured under biology. Isn’t this a management concept?
Let’s be clear. Positive feedback leads to increasing growth and change. Negative feedback suppresses both.
NOT The Carrot & The Stick
These aren’t feedback. They are incentives. There is a huge difference! A stick does not create negative feedback. If you run from it, it is positive. It is a negative incentive, unless you are a masochist — but I digress…
This confusion is rife. Consider how many coaches scream at their players in an effort “to change” their behavior. This is both a negative incentive, but also negative feedback. The latter is going to assure it has no potential for actually working. It is a concept that is misunderstood in much of management.
That is not to say we should be throwing carrots around.
Analysts must understand objective functions. Negative feedback is effective if you are attempting to control or optimize a well-performing process. It is completely worthless if you are attempting to grow or change one.
Swinging back to management and coaching for a second, that makes this image rather ridiculous… now, doesn’t it?
Youth sports is full of ridiculous, but I digress… or do I?
Many malign the efforts of some to end negative feedback in youth sports. I agree. Surprised? Let me finish.
Youth sports is a burgeoning industry (lets face it, beyond size there is a ton of money there now). It is a high functioning process. True to character, but poor on judgement, “positive feedbackers” have tried to toss carrots (i.e. participation trophies) at the problem. Failing that, they went after the scoreboard (sorry that is instrumentation — neither positive or negative). What they needed was some good ole negative feedback — on the coaches!
Again the system is robust and strong. The kids are not! They require growth, support, and change. Any coach engaging in negative feedback (and we all know who they are) needs to be suppressed. But sadly, those feedback loops appear to be mostly broken. But now, I am digressing again…
Understand each side of the feedback equation. Positive feedback builds, grows, and changes. Negative feedback stifles, muffles, and stops. Incentive is not feedback — both negative and positive incentives can be used in either side of feedback. It takes a little analysis to diagnose any side properly.
Finally — a quick note. This article had a strong bit of digression. Writing on Father’s Day, I would like to emphasize that there really is no place for negative feedback in the youth portion of youth sports. Coaches from rec to college who engage in it are really just being abusive. Having coached for years, I know how difficult it is. But too much tolerance has been afforded to obscenity spewing, ego crushing, and honestly, small-minded coaches in some misguided reverence to discipline. It is time we suppress such negative role-models in the system.
Thanks for reading! Happy Belated Father’s Day!
For more Analyst’s Pendulum consider:
