Constructive Supervisor Feedback is not Sufficient: Immediacy and Frequency is Essential

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21785
• Author: Bård Kuvaas,Robert Buch,Anders Dysvik
• Published date: 01 May 2017
• Date: 01 May 2017

Human Resource Management, May–June 2017, Vol. 56, No. 3. Pp. 519–531

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21785

Correspondence to: Bård Kuvaas, Professor, BI Norwegian Business School, Nydalsveien 37, 0484 Oslo,

Norway, Ph: +4746410731, Fax: +4746410701, E-mail: bard.kuvaas@bi.no.

With this background, the aim of the current

study is to test the unique and interactive rela-

tionships between perceived immediacy and fre-

quency of supervisor performance feedback and

perceived constructiveness of supervisor perfor-

mance feedback and work performance. Feedback

immediacy (e.g., Kulik & Kulik, 1988) refers to

the proximity in time with respect to the particu-

lar task performed and feedback frequency (e.g.,

Lam, DeRue, Karam, & Hollenbeck, 2011) to how

often feedback is received. As perceptions of feed-

back, perceived proximity in time with respect

to the particular task performed is probably con-

founded with perceived frequency. That is, if an

employee perceives that feedback is usually pro-

vided immediately after the work is done, he or

she will probably also perceive that the feedback

Lately, companies such as Accenture, Adobe,

Deloitte, Gap, General Electric, Microsoft,

and many others have removed their annual

reviews of employees’ performance, or are

in the process of doing so. Representatives

of these companies have provided several rea-

sons to change their performance management

systems, but two of the most cited ones have to

do with the immediacy and frequency and the

constructiveness of feedback provided to employ-

ees. For instance, and according to Bob Sutton’s

LinkedIn article about Adobe, “The aim is to give

people information when they need it rather than

months after teachable moments have passed”

and that managers are expected to “help employ-

ees with their growth and development plans”

(Sutton, 2014).

CONSTRUCTIVE SUPERVISOR

FEEDBACK IS NOT SUFFICIENT:

IMMEDIACY AND FREQUENCY

ISESSENTIAL

BÅRD KUVAAS, ROBERT BUCH, AND ANDERS DYSVIK

In the present study, we investigated the relationship between perceived con-

structiveness and perceived immediacy and frequency of supervisor perfor-

mance feedback and work performance. In two pilot studies, we obtained support

for the two-dimensionality of our measure of supervisor performance feedback.

In the main study, perceived constructiveness of supervisor performance feed-

back and work performance was positively related when perceived immediacy

and frequency of supervisor performance feedback was high. We discuss theo-

retical and practical implications and directions for future research. ©2016 Wiley

Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: feedback constructiveness, feedback immediacy and frequency,

supervisor performance feedback, work performance