Demand-driven Feedback Systems, Recordkeeping and Easy Task Prioritization

With the emergence of new technologies, the use of demand-driven feedback systems where employees have a choice over whether and how frequently they want to get feedback is increasing. In this study, we experimentally examine individuals' tendency to choose easier tasks over difficult tasks (labelled as easy task prioritization) as an unintended consequence of demand-driven feedback systems. We find that demand-driven feedback systems lead to a higher easy task prioritization and that recordkeeping can reduce the easy task prioritization induced by demand-driven feedback systems. In an extension of the main experiment, we examine whether easy task prioritization can be reduced by further modifications to demand-driven feedback systems, i.e. when employees can plan what tasks to do (planning) and the system suggests the next task based on the plan (dynamic sequencing). However, these modifications do not have an incremental effect over recordkeeping in reducing the easy task prioritization. Our study uncovers how modern accounting systems influence task selection and tests how demand-driven feedback systems could be modified to mitigate the unintended consequences of demand-driven feedback systems