Critical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 1

Douglas A. Johnson, Ph.D.
Western Michigan University
Angela R. Lebbon, Ph.D.
Lehman College, City University of New York

Slide 2

Managers often make common
mistakes when delivering
feedback to employees

Slide 3Sub-standard communication
often prevents organizations
from tapping into the true
potential of their employees

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

Introduction• Feedback long recognized as animportant component of any productive
workplace• Yet managers often make common
mistakes when delivering feedback toemployees• Such mistakes can drive employee
performance in the wrong direction

Introduction Continued• As a result, this sub-standard
communication often prevents
organizations from tapping into the true
potential of their employees.
• This talk will draw upon a wealth of
behavioral science research fromdiverse areas such as• pedestrian safety, food service
industries, trade, transportation,
manufacturing, clerical work,
online training and workplace
simulations to identify theessential rules for performanceenhancing feedback.
• These are commonly neglected ormisunderstood.

Critical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Information must possess two functions
to be considered feedback?
 It must tell you where you stand relative
to some target or goal It should tell you what to do to improve

Slide 4

Slide 5
Average units completed per hour

1000

900800700600500
4003002001000

Information posted aboutperformance

No information posted
about performance

Data from Johnson, Dickinson, & Huitema, 2008

Slide 6

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

How feedback viewed in organizations?
• As information, however, information
alone is not effective in changing
behavior• Do not confuse information and data for
feedback• If information and data do not tell you
which behavior to change, then it’s notfeedback• Just knowing information does not leadpeople to change their behavior

Critical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 7

950

Objective alone

Mean Performance

900

Evaluative
alone

850
800

Combined
Evaluative &Objective

750

No feedback

700
650

600
1st2nd3rd
Data from Johnson, in press

Important elements for feedback Evaluative and objective will enhance
beyond either alone

Slide 8Slide 9• 76% of the U.S. Hispanic population
over the age of 5 speaks Spanish athome• with a little more than half unable
to read and/or write in English• The language barrier has been cited as

yet…training and feedback is often
in English for these workers
Data from Hurley & Lebbon, 2012••

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

a possible cause for higher injury rates
among Hispanic workers.
• 76% of the U.S. Hispanic
population over the age of 5speaks Spanish at home,• with a little more than half
unable to read and/or write inEnglish• almost 40% of Hispanics havenot completed high school (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2011)
According to the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health and theBureau of Labor Statistics, workers withlimited English proficiency receive lesssafety training
Feedback must be clear and wellunderstood,

Critical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Unclear or subjective feedback might aswell be another language• Clear and immediately• Obvious feedback vs. muddled feedback
full of technical jargon• Graphed and easily understood
immediately

Slide 10Slide 11

100

Percentage of stops

90
80
70

60
50
40

30
20
100

No feedback

Praise feedback

Data from Austin, Hackett, Gravina, & Lebbon, 2006

Slide 12

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

You don’t have to have a long
relationship to have an impact
 A visual prompt and feedback by astranger with no control over driverconsequences did change behavior

Critical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Feedback on the most critical behaviors• Feedback weakens the more behaviors
you add to the feedback list
• If you were given feedback on 20 items,
how may would you remember?

Slide 13

Form from Lebbon, Sigurdsson, & Austin, 2012

History of feedback Typically the word “feedback” has been
established as an antecedent forpunishment
 Interventions should emphasize
positive feedback to overcome thishistory so performers begin to seek out,rather than avoid feedback

Slide 14

Slide 15
Percentage of material learned after training

60

50

40

30

20

100Attention to feedback enforcedFeedback simply present
Data from Johnson & Dickinson, 2012

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

Critical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Paying attention to feedback Feedback will be enhanced if theenvironment is structured so that
employees will be forced to somehow
attend to the feedback, even if only
briefly

Slide 16

Slide 17

90

Average gain/loss compared to baseline

80
7060

High and accurate(deserved praise)

50

Low and inaccurate(undeserved praise)

40

High and inaccurate(undeserved criticism)30

Low and accurate(deserved criticism)

20100
1st

2nd

3rd
Data from Johnson & Gravina, unpublished

Slide 18

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

Accuracy of feedback Nice but inaccurate feedback can bedamaging
 In an effort to develop more positive
interventions, do not start blindlylabeling all performance as praise
worthyCritical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LA
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 19Number of checks

01400
1200
1000
800
600
4002000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
4002000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
40020001400
1200
1000
800
600
4002000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
4002000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
2000

12Baseline

3453456789
Enhanced CPW

101112101112Barb

Andrea

Erin

Gina

Chuck

Dawn
0

12

6789Session

Data from Johnson & Dickinson, 2010

Slide 20

1000
900
800
700

600
500
400
300
200
100
0

Performance before
ranked feedback
program

Performance whenranked feedback
program introduced

Performance atconclusion of ranked
feedback program

Data from Johnson & Dickinson, 2010

Slide 21http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

Refuse the urge to compare to other
employees’ performance• Every organization possess outliers• Comparing to the outlier is unfair andonly creates resentment & competition
that may harm the internal culture
resulting in poor retention andsuccession plans• Feedback is based on that specificemployee’s past performance• Performance that is below average, but
an improvement for that individual, may
be worth rewardingCritical Feedback Elements Every Manager Should Know for Enhancing Workplace Communication
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON and Angela R. Lebbon
Western Michigan University and Lehman College, City University of New YorkMarch 22nd, 2013
Academic and Business Research Institute International Conference, New Orleans, LACorrespondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 22

Some key findings••••••••Slide 23

Simply posting data may do little to enhance
Both evaluative and objective elements neededFeedback must be clear and well-understood
Feedback can be quite effective, even from avariety of sources
Overcoming history of feedback as punishment
Set it up so that workers must pay attention tofeedback
Nice but inaccurate feedback can be damaging
Avoid using feedback to pit employees against
one another

What is the shortest word in the English
language that contains the letters: abcdef?
Don't forget that

feedback is one of thebasic building blocks fororganizational effectivenessDouglas Johnson:
djohnson@operant-tech.com

Angela Lebbon:
angela.lebbon@lehman.cuny.edu

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/