A Component Analysis of the Impact of Evaluative and Objective Feedback on Performance

Despite the frequency with which performance feedback interventions are used in organizational behavior management, component analyses of such feedback are rare. It has been suggested that evaluation of performance and objective details about performance are two necessary components for performance feedback. The present study was designed to help clarify which components are required for maximal effectiveness by comparing four conditions: (a) combined evaluative and objective feedback, (b) evaluative feedback alone, (c) objective feedback alone, and (d) no feedback. A total of 105 undergraduate students were recruited to work on a simulated bank check processing task while being exposed to one of the four feedback conditions. The number of checks correctly processed served as the dependent variable. Results suggest that a combination of objective and evaluative feedback is necessary for maximal performance.     

The Interaction Effects of Frequency and Specificity of Feedback on Work Performance

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the interaction effect between specificity (specific vs. global) and frequency of feedback (frequent vs. infrequent) on the quality of work performance. Eighty participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the four groups: specific and frequent feedback, global and frequent feedback, specific and infrequent feedback, and global and infrequent feedback. A 2 × 2 factorial design was adopted. Participants were asked to work on a simulated order-fulfilling task and attended 24 sessions. The dependent variable was the error rate of the completed tasks. The results showed that more frequent feedback was more effective and specific feedback was more effective than global feedback in improving the quality of performance. Furthermore, an interactive effect between feedback frequency and specificity was found. Specific feedback was more effective than global feedback when the feedback was infrequent, but global feedback was comparable to specific feedback when it was frequent.     

Considerations in Feedback Delivery: The Role of Accuracy and Type of Evaluation

Performance feedback remains a commonly implemented and successful intervention within organizational behavior management, but a comprehensive understanding of the components that influence the effectiveness of feedback tends to be lacking. The present study sought to contribute by analyzing the variables of accuracy (contingent on or independent of performance) and evaluation type (supportive or critical judgments) on performance using a simulated work environment. A total of 75 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions: (a) contingent and supportive feedback, (b) contingent and critical feedback, (c) independent and supportive feedback, or (d) independent and critical feedback. Outcomes suggested that contingent feedback improved performance relative to independent feedback, however, no differences were found between supportive and critical types of feedback. The need for additional research into the functional and formal elements of effective feedback is also discussed.     

The Effects of Social Comparison and Objective Feedback on Work Performance Across Different Performance Levels

This study investigated the interaction effects of feedback content type (social comparison feedback vs. objective feedback) and two different performance levels (high vs. low) on work performance. One hundred fifty participants were recruited and asked to perform a simulated work task in a preliminary session. Based on their performance, the upper 40% (high performance) and lower 40% (low performance) groups were selected for the main experiment. Participants in each group were randomly assigned to the two different experimental conditions: objective feedback and social comparison feedback. For the participants in the objective feedback condition, information on the number of correctly completed work tasks was provided. For the participants in the social comparison feedback condition, rank information on their performance was provided. The results indicated that social comparison feedback was more effective than objective feedback for the high performers, but was less effective for the low performers.     

Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback Sequence on Work Performance and Emotional Responses

Performance feedback has been broadly used within Organizational Behavior Management. However, the specifics regarding the most effective type of feedback still merits careful investigation, including the use of positive and negative sequences of feedback. The current study randomly assigned participants to receive one of the following sequences: (a) positive-positive feedback, (b) positive-negative feedback, (c) negative-positive feedback, and (d) negative-negative feedback. Uniform feedback delivery resulted in higher performance, although inconsistent feedback resulted in lessened negative emotional responses. Recommendations on whether to deliver positive or negative feedback in isolation or combination may depend upon the outcomes currently being prioritized by the organization.     

家族权威与企业绩效:基于广东省中山市家族企业的经验研究

家族权威既有助于提高家族企业的效率,但另一方面又制约着家族企业的发展.本文基于一手数据,对家族权威与企业绩效之间的关系进行了检验,结果表明,强化家族权威的负面效应高于正面效应:(1)强化对家族股权的控制有碍于家族企业的成长;(2)提高家族成员在高管中的比重并未能显著地改进绩效;(3)通过控制关键岗位以强化家族权威这一策略对家族企业绩效也没有显著作用;(4)通过授权弱化家族权威在一定程度上有助于改进企业绩效,大型企业更是如此;(5)家族权威的制衡机制对业绩效具有一定的促进作用.     

Evaluating Preference for Graphic Feedback on Correct Versus Incorrect Performance

The current study evaluated preferences of undergraduate students for graphic feedback on percentage of incorrect performance versus feedback on percentage of correct performance. A total of 108 participants were enrolled in the study and received graphic feedback on performance on 12 online quizzes. One half of participants received graphic feedback on percentage of correct performance on the first four online quizzes and then received feedback on percentage of incorrect performance on the following four quizzes. The order was reversed for the other half of participants. Participants were then asked whether their feedback on the final four quizzes should depict percentage of correct or incorrect performance. Participants who completed the study overwhelmingly preferred feedback on correct performance. The type of feedback students received for the first four quizzes did not affect subsequent quiz performance, and feedback preference was not related to performance on quizzes.     

The Impact of Wireless Technology on Loading Trucks at an Auto Parts Distribution Center

An intervention was introduced for truck loaders that used wireless vehicle mount computers that included auditory, visual feedback, and immediate data delivery. The implementation reliably reduced pallets from being loaded out of sequence for all outbound trucks in multistop routes. The role of the organizational behavior management (OBM) practitioner in designing work procedure changes using technical solutions, requiring a minimum of training, to accelerate key operational processes was examined.     

Evaluating the Temporal Location of Feedback: Providing Feedback Following Performance vs. Prior to Performance

In order to make feedback as effective as possible, it is important to understand its function in the three-term contingency (TTC) and the impact of various factors involved in delivering feedback. Timing of feedback is one factor that can affect the impact of feedback on learner’s behavior. An analysis of timing of feeback may help us getting closer to better understanding how feedback functions in the TTC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of feedback at different temporal locations. Specifically, feedback was provided either immediately (a) after a teaching session or (b) before the following teaching session, on teaching performance of undergraduate psychology students. The results indicated that feedback provided before the teaching session was more effective in improving teaching skills than feedback that was provided after the session. These findings suggest that feedback may function primarily as an antecedent to future performance and not necessarily as a consequence for past performance. However, the behavioral mechanism that explains these results is not yet clear. Future studies should investigate this further by manipulating the content of feedback prior to the teaching performance.     

Effects of Accurate and Inaccurate Feedback on Work Performance: The Role of the Awareness of Inaccuracy

ABSTRACT

This study compared the effects of accurate (i.e., contingent) and inaccurate (i.e., non-contingent) feedback on work performance under two different work conditions. Under one work condition, participants could clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., visible condition). Under the other condition, they could not clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., non-visible condition). One hundred and twenty participants were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (i.e., accurate/visible, inaccurate/visible, accurate/non-visible, and inaccurate/non-visible) and asked to perform a simulated work task. The results indicated that inaccurate feedback was as effective as accurate feedback under the non-visible condition, but inaccurate feedback was less effective than accurate feedback under the visible condition.     

The Impact of a Task Clarification and Feedback Intervention on Restaurant Service Quality

Customer service is a key aspect of restaurant success, as performance has shown a reliable positive relationship with customer retention. However, waitstaff performance may deteriorate, as income from gratuities is often unrelated to service quality. The present study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention consisting of task clarification and task-specific feedback on restaurant service tasks and observed the relationship between task completion and gratuities. Three adult women servers participated during their regular working shifts at a local dine-in restaurant. Initially customer service task completion was low (36% on average across participants). Performance increased immediately following the introduction of the intervention, and all participants maintained 87.5%–100% task completion. Correlational analyses found that gratuities were unrelated to performance and may thus pose a problem for performance maintenance. Implications relating to feedback and payment schedules are discussed.     

The Impact of Capacity Costs on Product Differentiation in Delivery Time,Delivery Reliability,and Price

We develop an analytical framework for studying the role capacity costs play in shaping the optimal differentiation strategy in terms of prices, delivery times, and delivery reliabilities of a profit‐maximizing firm selling two variants (express and regular) of a product in a capacitated environment. We first investigate three special cases. The first is an existing model of price and delivery time differentiation with exogenous reliabilities, which we only review. The second focuses on time‐based (i.e., length and reliability) differentiation with exogenous prices. The third deals with deciding on all features for an express variant when a regular product already exists in the marketplace. We subsequently address the integrative framework of time‐and‐price‐based differentiation for both products in a numerical study. Our results shed light on the role that customer preferences towards delivery times, reliabilities and prices, and the capacity costs (absolute and relative) have on the firm's optimal product positioning policy.     

组织内控制权分配:机制设计的视角

组织内控制权分配是一项契约安排,合理的控制权分配可以节约组织内的交易成本。一个可以观察到的趋势是,经济学家越来越关注于组织内控制权或者权威的研究,试图通过对组织内控制权或权威的探讨来研究提高组织绩效的方向。企业组织里的权威或者控制权是可以转让的,控制权分配发生于组织内的委托人和代理人之间,具体而言是发生在组织内的领导和下属之间。一个不断困扰经济学家及其他学者的重要问题是:组织内的控制权是如何分配的?沿着这样一个总体思路,本文从以下几个角度深入分析和评述了组织内的控制权分配理论的进展:(1)显示原理;(2)通讯成本与契约复杂性;(3)信息处理;(4)串谋;(5)再谈判与不完全契约。这些理论总结将有助于深入研究组织设计以及决策效率等现代企业理论中的关键问题。     

The Relative Effects of Global and Specific Feedback on Safety Behaviors

The purposes of this study were to examine the relative effects of global and specific feedback on safety performance and to compare the generalization effects of such feedback on nontarget safety items at a construction site. Participants were 21 construction workers. An ABCB within-group design was adopted and the following conditions were introduced in sequence: baseline (A), global feedback (B), specific feedback (C), and global feedback (B). The results revealed comparable safety performance levels in the global and specific feedback conditions. However, global feedback produced a higher level of generalization effects on nontarget items than specific feedback did.     

Specificity of Performance Feedback in a Professional Service Delivery Setting

Although feedback is one of the most widely used intervention strategies, data on the specificity of effects has been sparse. The current study examined the effects of individualized public feedback on maintenance of client charts by therapists in a clinic setting. Four types of charting errors were tracked throughout the study. In Phase 1, feedback on two types of charting errors was provided and withdrawn in an ABA fashion. Phase II was a systematic replication of Phase I, using a second group of therapists, in which feedback was provided on the other two types of charting errors in an AB fashion. Results showed that feedback affected only those errors on which it was provided, thus supporting a specificity view of feedback effects. It is suggested that target behaviors be carefully selected and that generalization of feedback effects be assessed and not assumed.     

Relative Effects of Daily Feedback and Weekly Feedback on Customer Service Behavior at a Gas Station

The relative effects of daily and weekly feedback on customer service behavior at a gas station were assessed using an ABC within-subjects design. Four critical service behaviors were identified and measured daily. After baseline (A), weekly feedback (B) was introduced, and daily feedback (C) was introduced in the next phase. The results indicated that the service behaviors improved when the weekly feedback was introduced and improved further when the daily feedback was introduced.     

Exploring the Impact of Delivery Performance on Customer Transaction Volume and Unit Price: Evidence from an Assembly Manufacturing Supply Chain

This study examines the effect of delivery performance on customer transactions. We propose that different delivery performance dimensions (on‐time delivery rate, early delivery inaccuracy, late delivery inaccuracy, and delivery speed) have varying impacts on future customer transaction quantities and unit prices. We further explore the effect of customer types on the proposed relationships. Trade customers (resellers) and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers generally have different operational needs for deliveries and therefore may value these metrics differently. Using instrumental variable regression, we analyze a proprietary transaction‐level dataset. The information was compiled by a Fortune 500 manufacturer from its Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control product supply chain, consisting of the manufacturer and its customers. The results indicate that measures of delivery performance affect customer transaction quantity and unit price differently. Furthermore, these impacts can differ significantly between trade customers and OEM customers. These findings provide fine‐grained insights about tuning delivery capabilities to increase sales volume or boost price.     

装卸一体化的车辆路径问题及基于插入法的新禁忌算法

在日益激烈的市场竞争中,如何在降低成本的同时,让各个顾客尽快收到货物成了现代交通运输物流中一个越来越重要的考虑因素。基于某快递公司的运输实例,本文提出了装卸一体化的车辆路径问题模型,最终优化目标是最小化车辆运输时间和货物到各个顾客的时间的加权和,并给出了一种基于插入法的新禁忌算法,实验结果表明新禁忌算法在显著提高传统禁忌算法计算时间的同时,还能得到理想的成本,并且对节约快递公司的运输成本方面有显著成效。     

Immediate Feedback on Accuracy and Performance: The Effects of Wireless Technology on Food Safety Tracking at a Distribution Center

The effects of wireless ring scanners, which provided immediate auditory and visual feedback, were evaluated to increase the performance and accuracy of order selectors at a meat distribution center. The scanners not only increased performance and accuracy compared to paper pick sheets, but were also instrumental in immediate and accurate data capture and tracking in compliance with the Public Health Security Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act (BTA) of 2002. The intervention, which required minimal training, successfully accelerated key operational processes and compliance with food safety mandates. The implications for Organizational Behavior Management practitioners are discussed.     

Graphic Feedback,Performance Feedback,and Goal Setting Increased Staff Compliance With a Data Collection Task at a Large Residential Facility

Because of budgetary constraints, human service organizations frequently expect consultants to recommend methods to enhance staff performance that require little or no additional funding. The current study utilized a multiple baseline across settings design to evaluate and compare the effects of a single intervention and a packaged intervention including graphic feedback and goal setting on approximately 200 direct care staff as a group, to improve the data collection procedure at a residential treatment facility. The single intervention showed some improvement, whereas the packaged intervention yielded substantial improvements and was maintained.