The fog of feedback: Ambiguity and firm responses to multiple aspiration levels

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Joseph, John; Gaba, Vibha
• 署名单位: Duke University; INSEAD Business School
• 刊物名称: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0143-2095
• DOI: 10.1002/smj.2333
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 1960-1978
• 关键词: performance feedback; multiple aspirations; behavioral theory of the firm; ambiguity; decision making

摘要

This study examines firms' responses to performance assessments relative to multiple aspiration levels. We argue that comparisons of performance to multiple aspiration levels over time affects the interpretative clarity of feedback and, consequently, shapes a firm's responsiveness. We further conceptualize the relationship between performance relative to social and historical aspirations as ambiguous, inconsistent, and consistent performance feedback. Empirically, we examine the effectson firms' responsivenessof weak, negative, and positive correlations between performance relative to social and historical aspirations, where responsiveness is measured in terms of new product introductions. We find that both inconsistent and consistent feedback increase a firm's responsiveness, whereas ambiguous feedback dampens responsiveness. Our focus on this type of feedback ambiguity is novel, and it establishes the functional form of the relationship between feedback clarity/ambiguity and responsiveness. This paper augments the behavioral theory of the firm and research on performance feedback; it also extends previous work on ambiguity in strategic decision making. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.