A theoretical and empirical examination of the effects of feedback and organizational structure on motivation and performance

Scope and method of study. A theoretical model called the Selective Attention Model (SAM) is developed. The SAM describes the cognitive process through which feedback influences quality motivation and performance. Both attention and goal setting are important parts of this process. Organizational structure is a source of goals against which the feedback is compared. The SAM is used to develop hypotheses about the effect of feedback type and organizational structure on motivation and performance. Using 104 accounting students as subjects, the hypotheses are tested in a laboratory simulation involving job cost sheet preparation. Three tasks are required--materials requisition, time ticket, and overhead entry.;Three types of feedback are studied--person-level (focusing on individual performance), process-level (focusing on efficiency of whole processes) and organization-level (focusing on customers' perceptions of the output). Feedback type and organizational structure are hypothesized to interact with person-level feedback being superior in the functional structure while process-level feedback is best in the cross-functional structure.;Findings and conclusions. The results of the experiment indicate significant correlations between attention, goal setting, and motivation as suggested by the SAM. Further evaluation reveals that time limitations in the cross-functional structure may have interfered with the experimental manipulation. However, the study reveals no interaction between feedback type and organizational structure. These findings imply modifications to the SAM requiring that feedback be useful for either cuing or learning to influence motivation and performance.;Two organizational structures are studied. In the functional structure, subjects perform only materials requisition entry and never see the job cost sheets which are the output of their work. In the cross-functional structure, subjects perform all three tasks and are shown the job cost sheets. Hypotheses predict the cross-functional structure will be superior because subjects experience greater task significance, task identity, task variety and autonomy.