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Feedback Dynamics Are Critical to Improving Performance Management Systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

Nitya Chawla*
Affiliation:
Department of Management and Organizations, University of Arizona
Allison S. Gabriel
Affiliation:
Department of Management and Organizations, University of Arizona
Jason J. Dahling
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The College of New Jersey
Kajal Patel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The College of New Jersey
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Nitya Chawla, Department of Management and Organizations, University of Arizona, 1130 East Helen Street, McClelland Hall 405, Tucson, AZ 85721-0108. E-mail: nityac@email.arizona.edu

Extract

Colquitt, Murphy, and Ollander-Krane (Adler et al., 2016) argue that performance ratings are problematic in part because of the problems associated with feedback: Ratees dislike and dismiss performance feedback, raters are reluctant to provide tough feedback, and organizations do not enact research findings about improving feedback processes (Adler et al.). Discarding performance ratings on these grounds is effectively “throwing out the baby with the bath water,” given that we know quite a lot about how to improve the delivery and receptivity of feedback. Our commentary is intended to briefly illustrate ways to leverage research on feedback receptivity to improve performance management systems. Specifically, we focus on (a) cultivating supportive feedback environments, (b) integrating employee coaching into performance management systems, and (c) attending to the characteristics of feedback recipients to understand how they process feedback.

Type
Commentaries
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2016 

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