The difficulty breaks down like this:

1. Certainly we cannot get things done just by talking about them.

2. And yet, feedback can be useful, i.e., if there are mechanisms for responding to it in a useful fashion.

3. The associated anti-pattern is a special case of the prototypical Batesonian double bind, "the father who says to his son: go ahead, criticize me, but strongly hints that all effective criticism will be very unwelcome" [1], p. 88.

Criticism is not always useful. Sometimes it is just "noise".

It's tempting to create "open" systems that inadvertantly replicate the double bind -- by being open to criticism, but unable to act on it effectively.

A long list of criticisms that haven't been dealt with is maybe better than no communication at all, but it's also a tell-tale sign of deeper dissatisfaction. It's better to make sure you have enough bandwidth (seeCarrying Capacity) for dealing with a given class of problems and issues. Adjust your focus accordingly, but be careful (see "Isolation").

We have hinted that, in this project,effective criticism is very welcome! But understanding what makes criticism effective is, in general, still a research problem.

1. Deleuze, G., and Guattari, F. (2004). Anti-oedipus. Continuum International Publishing Group.