Two Essays on Managers' Feedback Behavior in the Workplace

Abstract

Previous feedback research has largely focused on the perspective of the feedback recipient, often taking the act of giving feedback for granted. However, providing feedback can be a complicated and demanding task for managers, and there is likely considerable variance in the frequency and types of feedback behaviors in which managers engage. To this end, in this dissertation I present two essays to address this issue. In Essay 1, I develop the Manager Feedback Behavior Scale (MFBS), which is comprised of seven factors: fostering credibility, providing high-quality feedback, delivering feedback with tact, providing positive feedback, providing negative feedback, ensuring availability, and promoting feedback-seeking. Across four studies, I provide evidence for the validity of the MFBS. In Essay 2, I integrate self-regulatory theories of work motivation with the literature on mental health stereotypes. Across two studies, I present evidence that managers adjust the effort they allocate toward feedback behaviors based on perceptions of their subordinates’ mental health. Briefly, the results indicate that these adjustments are driven by beliefs regarding the likelihood that providing feedback will “pay off” in terms of improved performance. As a set, these essays make several contributions to the feedback literature. Specifically, this research elucidates feedback processes from the manager’s point of view, provides a framework for future investigation of managerial feedback behavior, and emphasizes that providing feedback should be considered with more nuance than simply whether feedback was or was not provided.