To Seek or Not to Seek: Is That the Only Question? Recent Developments in Feedback-Seeking Literature

Abstract

In 1983, our understanding of feedback in organizations shifted from a focus on feedback from supervisors through the annual performance review to consider also the feedback information proactively sought by individuals as part of their everyday interactions within organizations ( Ashford & Cummings 1983 ). This article updates our understanding of the field of feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) since this literature was last reviewed in 2003, analyzes its current state, and suggests future research ideas. We begin by positioning feedback seeking within a broader theoretical context by relating it to proactivity, impression management, and individual adjustment. We then review what we currently know about who is more likely to seek feedback, as well as the contexts that stimulate such seeking. We then review the benefits and potential costs that might accompany feedback seeking, with regard to the person who is seeking it as well as the group. We conclude this review by identifying potentially fruitful avenues for further research and some key practical implications.

Construction and Application of Radical Candor: Efficiency of Criticism at Work

“…Feedback is generally accepted to be an important factor in the development of performance, adaptability, and learning in organizations (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996;Ashford et al, 2016;Allen, Shockley & Poteat, 2012). Efficiency of the whole process is influenced by willingness of feedback participants to be actively engaged in the process, especially when it might uncover what behavior needs to be changed and stimulate actions to make such change (Tsui & Ashford, 1994;Steelman & Rutkowski, 2004).…”

“…Efficiency of the whole process is influenced by willingness of feedback participants to be actively engaged in the process, especially when it might uncover what behavior needs to be changed and stimulate actions to make such change (Tsui & Ashford, 1994;Steelman & Rutkowski, 2004). For both feedback-giving and feedback-seeking behavior, negative feedback is not only the most beneficial feedback, but also the most challenging (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996;Ashford et al, 2016;De Rijit et al 2012). …”

“…Feedback-seeking behavior can be expressed either by direct asking for feedback (inquiry), by indirect observation of cues in one's environment in order to infer information from others (monitoring) or by indirect stimulation of others in order to receive information from them without direct asking (indirect inquiry) (Ashford et al, 2016). Although directly obtained negative feedback has been repeatedly showed as the most beneficial one, the seekers tend to do exactly the opposite in real situations (Ashford et al, 2003;Ashford et al, 2016). Many seekers seem to get engaged in situations which more likely provide favorable or positive information and avoid negative or threatening ones, and they prefer using indirect methods (Tsui & Ashfold, 1994).…”

“…Issues related to feedback-giving and feedback-seeking behavior tend to be triggered by psychological factors of the participants of the feedback-process (Kluger and DeNisi;1996;Raver et al, 2012;Ashford et al, 2003;Ashford et al, 2016). The first psychological factor is the emotional stability of feedback participants.…”

“…Despite having its advantages, the application of negative feedback also faces several issues such as defensiveness of feedback-receivers and destructive criticism in case of feedback-giving behavior (Leung, Su & Morris, 2001;Raver et al, 2012;Steelman & Rutkowski, 2004) and avoidance of negative information and neglecting direct methods in case of feedback-seeking behavior (Ashford et al, 2016). Although these issues are the result of more complex factors, they are significantly influenced by psychological factors such as emotional stability (Kim et al, 2009), attachment style (Brennan et al, 1998), low level of self-esteem (Baumeister et al, 2003), and goal orientation (VandeWalle, 1997).…”