The Effects of Feedback Seeking Performance and Tenure on Perceived Organizational Commitment Self-Promotion Attributions and Allocation of Organizational Rewards

Few studies have addressed the performance feedback seeking process from the perspective of the source of the feedback. Investigators generally focus on the behavior of the feedback seeker, either ignoring or only speculating about reactions by the target of the feedback request. The objective of this study was to empirically investigate the target's reaction to requests for performance feedback. Extensive efforts have been made to demonstrate that people often constrain their feedback seeking behavior because of perceived risks, however, research has not examined to what extent the perceived costs are real. A hypothetical scenario was used to elicit reactions to an individual requesting performance feedback. The 234 participants included 131 males and 103 females with at least one year of full-time work experience. Participants read a vignette describing a hypothetical co-worker requesting information: feedback about performance or technical information. The vignettes depicted an office setting and described the information seeker in terms of tenure and performance history. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing reactions to the information seeker and demographic information. Results indicated that participants react more favorably to an individual who requests performance feedback versus technical information. Regardless of tenure and performance history, participants perceived that the co-worker seeking performance feedback had more ability and better chances at future success in the organization than did a co-worker seeking technical information. However, these individuals were also perceived as attempting to manipulate impressions. Results indicate that feedback seeking is neither categorically costly nor cost free, a finding contrary to the perception that requesting feedback is always a costly venture.