When goals waltz together: how (in)consistent performance feedback on multiple complementary goals affects performance improvements in the public sector
研究公共部门在多个互补目标上收到一致或不一致的绩效反馈后，如何影响后续绩效改进，基于中国城市政府微博评估数据发现一致反馈促进改进、不一致反馈阻碍改进。
Prior performance feedback research has mostly adopted the sole-goal perspective, neglecting complexities engendered by performance feedback on multiple interrelated goals. This research sets out to fill this gap by studying how performance feedback on multiple complementary goals affects public organizations’ subsequent performance improvements. We theorize that both consistent positive performance feedback and consistent negative performance feedback positively affect performance improvements, while inconsistent performance feedback exerts a negative impact. Based on the case of a prominent performance evaluation scheme for government social media (Weibo) in China, our empirical analyses with panel data from 292 prefecture-level cities yield robust supporting evidence.