
Feedback Resistance
Most managers would agree that employees should speak up when they have concerns, ideas, or feedback. These same managers would also likely agree that, as bosses, they play an important role in determining whether employees do indeed offer input. After all, employees often take cues from those in authority, and when managers invite and encourage participation, employees follow suit. However, managers often avoid inviting employees to provide input or discourage those who do speak up. Why? My research explores the structural and psychological factors that lead managers to resist input and ignore or discount it when it is offered.
Selected Research
The errors of experts: When expertise hinders effective provision and seeking of advice and feedback (2022)
With Ting Zhang & Kelly Harrington
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Read the full article in the Current Opinion in Psychology
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Keeping it between us: Managerial endorsement of public versus private voice (2021)
With Sofya Isaakyan, Subrahmaniam Tangirala, & Hanes Guenter
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Read the full article in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
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For summaries and further discussions see:
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The lab Manager: “Have Something to Say? Your Boss May Prefer You Do It in Private”
Distinguishing Voice and Silence at Work: Unique Relationships with Perceived Impact, Psychological Safety, and Burnout (2021)
With Michael Parke and Sofya Isaakyan
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Read the full article in the Academy of Management Journal.
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For summaries and further discussions see:
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Harvard Business Review: "You Might Not Be Hearing Your Team’s Best Ideas"
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AOM Insights: "Why Employees Who Speak up Sometimes Remain Silent"
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UNC Kenan-Flagler: "Employees have a voice – are you amplifying or silencing it?"
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I Do Not Need Feedback! Or Do I? Self-efficacy, Perspective Taking, and Feedback Seeking (2020)
With Elizabeth Morrison
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Read the full article in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
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For summaries and further discussions see:
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HR People + Strategy: "How Leaders Can Balance Confidence and Humility"
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I/O at work: "How Organizations Can Encourage Employees to Seek Feedback"
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UNC Kenan-Flagler: "Employees have a voice – are you amplifying or silencing it?"
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Why Managers do not Seek Voice from Employees: The Importance of Managers’ Personal Control and Long-term Orientation (2019)
With Subrahmaniam Tangirala and Vijaya Venkataramani
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Read the full article in Organization Science.
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For summaries and further discussions see:
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Harvard Business Review: "Research: Why Managers Ignore Employees’ Ideas"
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Work Futures: "Less Management, More Autonomy"
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UNC Kenan-Flagler: "Employees have a voice – are you amplifying or silencing it?"
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Centralization of Member Voice in Teams: Its Effects on Expertise
Utilization and Team Performance (2018)
With Ruchi Sinha, Subrahmaniam Tangirala, and Nikhil Awasty
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Read the full article in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
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For summaries and further discussions see:
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HR People + Strategy: "Forge a Deeper Level of Diversity"
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It Is Not My Place! Psychological Standing and Men’s Voice and Participation in Gender-Parity Initiatives (2017)
With Subrahmaniam Tangirala and Katy Connealy Weber
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Read the full article in Organization Science.
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For summaries and further discussions see:
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Harvard Business Review: "How to Get Men Involved with Gender Parity Initiatives" and "Lots of Men Are Gender-Equality Allies in Private. Why Not in Public?"
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Work in Progress: "Psychological standing and men’s participation in gender-parity initiatives"
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MultiBriefs: Exclusive: "Are your employees afraid to work together?"
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Adam Grant on Linkedin: "Why White People Stay Silent on Racism, and What to Read First"
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