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<p dir="ltr">Feedback seeking is an essential process for employees to improve performance and clarify expectations (Renn & Fedor, 2001; Ashford & Tsui, 199). Certain factors such as ego and image defense limit feedback seeking in the workplace due to avoidance of negative outcomes (Ashford & Cummings, 1983), however we know less about whether feedback seeking does lead to actual negative outcomes for the employee (Ashford, De Stobbeleir, & Nujella, 2016). The current study examines the existence of actual costs to the seeker for seeking more frequently and adds to the literature by examining whether supervisor individual differences are related to perceptions of seeking behavior, namely implicit person theory and feedback orientation. With a sample of 275 adult supervisors recruited from Mturk, the current study measured participants on these individual differences and assessed perceptions of a fictional employee who either sought feedback with high or low frequency. The employee was rated on a selection of performance potential outcomes related to promotability, expectations of future performance, willingness to mentor, and candidacy for career development opportunities. Findings suggest there is a cost associated with seeking feedback at a higher frequency which manifests as a decrease in perceptions of confidence in the employee. Additionally, this perception of lower confidence from seeking feedback could contribute to more significant downstream outcomes such as expectations of lower quality performance and lower likelihood of being promoted. By understanding more about individuals’ perceptions of feedback seeking behavior, we may train supervisors how to be more receptive of different feedback seeking behavior. This could assist in fostering a performance improvement environment that ultimately improves organizational performance.</p>

Forskning om feedback har länge haft ett stort fokus på traditionell feedback inom organisationer, som sker från chef till medarbetare, och det har inte funnits ett lika starkt intresse för att studera feedback från medarbetare till chef, så kallad “upward feedback”, vilket gör det relevant att öka förståelsen inom detta område. Syftet med studien var att öka förståelsen för hur chefer använder feedback från medarbetare för att leda och utveckla verksamheten och sitt eget ledarskap. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats, vilket ligger till grund för insamling av data genom tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med chefer från sex olika organisationer för att studera deras perspektiv på upward feedback och hur de skapar organisatoriska förutsättningar för att ta tillvara medarbetares feedback för att leda verksamheten. Resultatet visade att efterfrågan av och mottaglighet för feedback (både negativ och positiv) är en utmanande uppgift och behöver därför tränas upp. Därtill identifieras tillitsfulla relationer, trygghet i ledarskap och öppna dialoger som förutsättningar för cheferna att öka sin mottaglighet och förmåga att ta tillvara feedback. Slutsatsen dras att trygga chefer med tillitsfulla relationer till sina medarbetare använder upward feedback för att utveckla sig själva som chefer, utveckla en hälsosam arbetsmiljö och lärandeinriktad arbetsplats. / Research about feedback has mainly focused on traditional feedback within organizations, that is, feedback from managers to their employees, and little research has been made to study upward feedback, from employees to their managers. This makes it relevant to increase our understanding within this area. The aim of this study was therefore to contribute to the understanding of how managers utilize upward feedback to lead and develop organizations and their leadership. The study has a qualitative approach, which impacted the decision to gather data through ten semi-structured interviews with managers from six different organizations, with the aim to raise awareness about their perspective on upward feedback and how they use it as part of their leadership. The findings showed that receptivity towards feedback (both positive and negative) is a challenging task and therefore needs practice. Moreover, trustworthy relationships, confidence in leadership and open dialogues are essential conditions for managers to increase their receptivity for upward feedback and are therefore central aspects in utilizing feedback in a more favorable way. A conclusion is made that confident managers with trusting relationships with their employees utilize upward feedback to develop as leaders, develop a healthy working environment and work towards a workplace that fosters learning.