How much feedback do employees need? A field study of absolute feedback frequency reports and performance

Abstract

Scholars and practitioners in the field of performance management have advocated an increase in the exchange of feedback in the workplace. Practitioners would benefit from guidelines about appropriate feedback frequencies, but the current literature does not offer much guidance. Our study investigates how self-reports of absolute frequencies relate to performance and job satisfaction. In a sample of diverse organizations, employees reported, on average, 3.8 feedback conversations in 3 weeks. Contrary to earlier suggestions that there might be an optimal feedback frequency, we find support for the notion that more feedback is better, without any indication of a downward trend at the highest feedback frequency. Our findings suggest that leader-member exchange may be one underlying mechanism that mediates this relationship.

WEIRDness abounds! Sample characteristics, restricted variance, and why they matter for international selection and assessment research

“…For example, a study conducted by Mertens et al (2021) on a sample of Belgian employees found, among other things, a positive relationship between feedback frequency and job satisfaction. The authors mention that their findings are likely generalizable to other similar positive feedback cultures, where the exchange of feedback is viewed as essential to working relationships.…”

Manager Perspectives on the Prevalence, Impact, and Management of Work-Related Burnout in Academic Library Technical Services Workers

“…While not the focus of this study, the benefits of manager feedback, and increased feedback frequency, are well documented in management research. 34 Most participants (87.3%) also indicated that they talk with their employees about work stressors. This is a positive highlight in data that indicates many employees are struggling.…”

Performance management systems, innovative work behavior and the role of transformational leadership: an experimental approach

“…specific goals or practices) is also included in the experimental manipulation. This could be, for example, in the form of specific innovation goals (Ligon et al, 2012), through developmental goal-setting that considers employees' unique talents and strengths (van Woerkom and Kroon, 2020) or through a well-developed feedback culture (Mertens et al, 2021). Employees might react differently to PMSs in a team context, for example by discussing shared goals and possibilities to attain them.…”

“…Despite their importance, PMSs have so far mainly been studied in relation to task-related behaviors (Berdicchia et al, 2022). For long time, the idea that PMSs can also stimulate proactive behaviors, which by definition are self-initiated behaviors, has been dismissed over criticisms that PMSs are often reduced to administrative chores, disconnected from day-to-day activities and with little motivational value (Mertens et al, 2021;Murphy, 2020). While recent insights suggest that some PMS activities do have proactive potential, few studies have made the case for when and how PMSs foster proactive behaviors, like IWB (Berdicchia et al, 2022;Van Veldhoven et al, 2017).…”