Reflecting on the Past and Targeting for the Future : Performance Feedback as a Contingency

Problem definition: Decision makers learn from experience to develop better strategies for organizational operations. This study aims to offer new knowledge on the mechanism through which reflection affects organizational operations performance and the boundary condition of such effects.Methodology/results: Drawing on reflection research and performance feedback theory, we theorize that reflection strengthens decision makers’ strategy quality, thus enhances organizational operations performance. Moreover, performance feedback positively moderates the indirect effect of reflection on organizational operations performance through strategy quality. Three empirical studies with multiple methods, including one actual-behavioral laboratory study, one manipulation lab study and one survey study, were conducted to test the proposed theoretical model. Managerial implications: The findings enrich decision-making research by shedding new light on how reflection intervention and performance feedback improve strategy quality and consequent organizational operations performance. Our research also provides valuable insights for managers who wish to improve their decision-making performance. Specifically, this research suggests that decision makers can improve the quality of their strategies and their overall performance by engaging in a systematic reflection on their prior experiences