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How do performance feedback characteristics influence recipients’ reactions? A state-of-the-art review on feedback source, timing, and valence effects

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Abstract

One of the most important measures to stimulate individual performance is feedback, whose effectiveness highly depends on underlying feedback characteristics. Although an extensive body of research has stressed its importance, a conclusive overall picture on feedback characteristics effects is missing. However, synthesized knowledge is important when one is willing to implement feedback systems to effectively influence recipients’ reactions. To address this issue, we organize and summarize the findings regarding the main effects of feedback source, feedback timing, and feedback valence as well as regarding their interactions with the source, message, task, and recipients’ individual characteristics from different disciplines. Based on an analysis of 64 empirical articles, we show that main effects have been considered very context-specific and are often inconsistent, while the occurrence of certain source, message, task, and individual characteristics even inverts the generally assumed main relationships. Based on an extract of our findings, we provide specific research propositions and offer avenues for future research, which will be of value for researchers and feedback-providing practitioners.

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Notes

  1. Even if source power and credibility are different constructs, we found that several dimensions of power as mentioned by French and Raven (1959) are similar to dimensions of source credibility.

  2. Whereas source power is the underlying ability—depending on the source—to influence others, expert power derives from a person’s expertise, referent power from the feeling of identity/status and reward or coercive power from a person’s ability to reward or punish, while legitimate power derives from a person’s formal role and position, e.g. hierarchy in organizations (see French and Raven 1959).

  3. Source expertise, manipulated similar to source status, constitutes a dimension of source credibility (see Chapter 4.2).

  4. Legitimate power in organizations comes along with reward or coercive power, which is derived from position rather than expertise.

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Correspondence to Jonas Lechermeier.

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Lechermeier, J., Fassnacht, M. How do performance feedback characteristics influence recipients’ reactions? A state-of-the-art review on feedback source, timing, and valence effects. Manag Rev Q 68, 145–193 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-018-0136-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-018-0136-8

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