You can also access this resource, and many others, in Issue 366 of my Talent Edge Weekly newsletter.
As more managers begin using AI to help write performance reviews, I think we need to pay attention to how employees experience the feedback they receive. A new study in Frontiers in Psychology offers an interesting example. Researchers gave 192 employed adults the same excerpt from a hypothetical performance review, but varied what they were told about how it was produced: 1) written by the manager, 2) generated by AI, 3) generated by AI and reviewed by the manager, or 4) written by the manager and refined with AI. Compared with feedback described as manager-written, feedback described as fully AI-generated produced significantly less favorable anticipated reactions on eight of nine measures. One result relates to the employee’s willingness to ask the manager for help. On a seven-point scale, it averaged 3.43 for the AI-generated feedback versus 5.31 for the manager-written feedback, a statistically significant difference. Feedback described as manager-written and AI-refined did not differ significantly from fully manager-written feedback on the measured outcomes. The study has limitations, including its hypothetical setting and relatively small sample from one country. Still, as year-end reviews soon approach for many, it raises a practical question: Are we providing guidance to managers on how AI can be of benefit and where it can lead to unintended consequences? That guidance could shape how employees receive feedback and whether they feel comfortable seeking their manager’s help and support afterward.
