Consequences of Positive and Negative Feedback: The Impact on Emotions and Extra-Role Behaviors

These studies examine employees' emotional reactions to performance feedback from their supervisors as well as subsequent effects on attitudes and (intentions to show) affect-driven work behaviors (counterproductive behavior, turnover, citizenship, and affective commitment). A pre-study (N = 72) illustrates that employees regularly receive performance feedback from supervisors and that this feedback elicits different positive and negative emotions. Next, a scenario experiment (Study 1) comparing the effects of positive/negative feedback given in public/private was conducted, with a student sample (N = 240) and a sample of working adults (N = 107). In both samples, feedback has an impact on emotions and subsequently on work attitudes and behavioral intentions. The results from the scenario experiment were validated in a survey study (Study 2) among employees of a for-profit research firm (N = 86) who reported on recalled emotions and work behaviors after receiving performance feedback during appraisals. Again, different types of feedback relate to different emotions. In turn, these emotions were related to subsequent work behaviors and attitudes. Together, these studies show that feedback affects recipients' emotions and that such emotional reactions mediate the relationship between feedback and counterproductive behavior, turnover intentions, citizenship, and affective commitment.