How do performance feedback characteristics influence recipients' reactions? A state of the art review on feedback source, timing, and valence effects
One of the most important measures to stimulate individual performance is feedback, whose effectiveness highly depends on underlying feedback characteristics. Although an extensive body of research has stressed its importance, a conclusive overall picture on feedback characteristics effects is missing. However, synthesized knowledge is important when one is willing to implement feedback systems to effectively influence recipients' reactions. To address this issue, we organize and summarize the findings regarding the main effects of feedback source, feedback timing, and feedback valence as well as regarding their interactions with the source, message, task, and recipients' individual characteristics from different disciplines. Based on an analysis of 64 empirical articles, we show that main effects have been considered very context specific and are often inconsistent, while the occurrence of certain source, message, task, and individual characteristics even inverts the generally assumed main relationships. Based on an extract of our findings, we provide specific research propositions and offer avenues for future research, which will be of value for researchers and feedback providing practitioners.