What cats can teach us about Feedback Loops
I've often described my approach to cleaning and organising as being a bit like a cat's journey around the house.
At first glance, it can look as though I'm simply wandering around in circles. But as I move from room to room, I'm actually picking things up, sorting them, putting them where they belong, and often discovering a better way to organise everything along the way.
The interesting thing is that I approach work in much the same way.
Rather than following a perfectly straight line from start to finish, I tend to explore, make adjustments, test ideas, and then circle back. Each pass allows me to refine what I'm doing, learn from the results, and improve the outcome. Looking back, I realise this is actually a loose example of a feedback loop in action.
Why am I talking about Feedback Loops?
In my last post, I explored the concept of value exchange and how businesses create meaningful relationships by delivering value to their customers.
That conversation naturally led me to think about feedback loops, because they're one of the most powerful ways organisations can learn, adapt, and continuously improve the value they provide.
So, what exactly is a feedback loop?
In simple terms, a feedback loop is a process where the output of a system is fed back into the system as a new input. This ongoing cycle allows people, processes, and organisations to learn from outcomes, make adjustments, and optimise performance over time.
The keyword here is continuous. Feedback loops aren't about making one improvement and stopping. They're about creating a process of constant learning and refinement.
A simple example
One of the easiest examples to understand is social media.
Businesses publish content, measure how audiences respond, analyse what performs well, and then use those insights to shape future content.
The process looks something like this:
Publish content.
Measure engagement and performance.
Analyse what resonated with the audience.
Adjust future content based on the findings.
Repeat.
Over time, this helps organisations better understand what their audience finds useful, interesting, and valuable.
The two main types of Feedback Loops
Feedback loops generally fall into two categories.
Positive Feedback Loops
Positive feedback loops reinforce and amplify a change, often creating growth or acceleration.
A common business example is a successful referral programme. One customer refers a friend, who refers another friend, and so on. Each new customer increases the likelihood of attracting even more customers, creating a compounding effect.
Negative Feedback Loops
Despite the name, negative feedback loops aren't necessarily bad. Their purpose is to maintain balance and stability.
A classic example is a home thermostat. If the temperature drops below the desired level, the heating switches on. Once the target temperature is reached, it switches off. The system continually adjusts itself to maintain a stable environment.
The standard four-step Feedback Cycle
Most effective feedback loops follow a similar pattern:
1. Action
An action is taken, such as launching a product, publishing content, or introducing a new process.
2. Measurement
Data, feedback, or observations are collected to understand the results.
3. Analysis
The information gathered is reviewed to identify trends, opportunities, challenges, or successes.
4. Adaptation
Changes are made based on the insights gained, creating a new and improved version of the original action.
Then the cycle begins again.
How different industries use Feedback Loops
Feedback loops are everywhere, often operating behind the scenes.
Software development
Agile teams use short development cycles, daily stand-ups, and sprint reviews to identify issues early and improve products continuously.
Customer experience
Businesses gather customer feedback through surveys, reviews, and support interactions. They then analyse the data to improve products, services, and overall customer satisfaction.
Social media platforms
Algorithms constantly monitor engagement signals such as likes, comments, shares, and watch time. This information is used to adjust what content users see, creating a continuous cycle of learning and adaptation.
Why Feedback Loops matter
For both individuals and organisations, feedback loops provide a framework for continuous improvement.
They help answer important questions:
Is this working?
What could be improved?
What should we do more of?
What should we stop doing?
Perhaps most importantly, they provide a benchmark for progress.
Whether you're developing a digital strategy, improving a product, growing a business, or simply organising your home, feedback loops encourage curiosity, learning, and adaptation.
The process isn't always linear. Sometimes, much like my cat-inspired approach to tidying, it can feel like you're going around in circles.
But each circle brings new information, fresh insights, and opportunities to improve.
And if you're consistent enough to listen to the feedback and open enough to act on it, those small improvements can compound into significant progress over time.