Multilevel social predictors of employee feedback-seeking behavior: A cost–benefit perspective

Abstract

In this study, we examined the two distinct dimensions of feedback-seeking behavior (FSB), namely, feedback-seeking frequency and feedback-seeking breadth. We focused on work team properties and team members’ social characteristics, and identified the multilevel social contextual predictors for each FSB dimension in an organizational team setting. Participants were 187 employees in 45 work teams in various industries in South Korea. Results show that feedback-seeking frequency was significantly positively related to three individual or team characteristics (i.e., emotional competence, team reflexivity, and task interdependence), but feedback-seeking breadth was significantly positively related to only one dimension, team reflexivity. Our findings provide an understanding of the multilevel emergent process of FSB in work teams, and the impact of the multilevel antecedents on the two FSB dimensions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.