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Honest feedback: Barriers to receptivity and discerning the truth in feedback
Nathan M Fulham1, Kori L Krueger1, Taya R Cohen1
1Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.
Abstract:
Feedback is information provided to recipients about their behavior, performance, or understanding, the goal of which is to foster recipients' self-awareness, and behavioral reinforcement or change. Yet, feedback often fails to achieve this goal. For feedback to be effective, recipients must be receptive and accurately understand the meaning and veracity of the feedback (i.e., discern the truth in feedback). Honesty is critically important for both receptivity and discerning the truth in the feedback. In this article, we identify barriers to receptivity and discerning the truth in feedback and illustrate how these barriers hinder recipients' learning and improvement. Barriers can arise from the feedback itself, the feedback-giver, and the feedback-recipient, and both parties share responsibility for removing them.
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