Researchers have found that the great majority of people really want to hear how they
are doing on the job. One of the key roles of a supervisor or manager is to keep workers
in touch with what they are doing right -- and what areas could use some improvement.
Note that to be useful, evaluative performance feedback must be given close to the time
of the performance, it must accurately reflect what the worker did, and it must present
constructive possibilities for improvement rather than being insulting, mean, etc. Many
people have had the experience of being "told off" (destructive feedback) long
after the event (not timely) from a one-sided perspective (inaccurate). Good supervisors
and managers avoid these pitfalls when giving feedback.
The motivational technique of "goal setting" is one of the best documented
and most effective techniques for motivating work performance. Goal setting depends on
several features, such as setting a challenging but realistic goal, but most importantly,
the effectiveness of goal setting depends upon receiving feedback or knowledge of
one’s performance.