피드백추구행동 이론에 의하면, 조직의 구성원은 피드백의 가치와 피드백추구에 따른 비용을 인식한 후에 피드백을 추구할 것인지의 여부를 결정한다고 한다. 선행연구들은 이러한 피드백 가치 · 비용 인식에 영향을 주는 요인으로써 피드백추구동기에 주목하기 시작하였으며, 피드백추구 동기에 따라서 피드백의 가치 · 비용인식이 달라질 수 있다는 연구를 수행해 왔다. 그러나 피드백추구행동의 동기와 가치 · 비용 인식간의 관계가 구성원의 특성에 따라 어떻게 달라지는지에 대한 관심은 상대적으로 부족하였다. 이에 본 연구에서는 피드백추구의 세 가지 동기(수단적 동기, 자아향상 동기, 이미지향상 동기)가 피드백 가치 · 비용에 미치는 영향이 남성과 여성 간에 어떠한 차이가 있는지를 규명하고자 하였다. 이러한 성별의 조절효과에 대한 가설 설정을 위해 남성과 여성의 성향 차이, 조직의 특성에 대한 인식, 그리고 사회적 역할 이론 등을 활용하였다. 국내 직장인을 대상으로 자료를 수집하였으며 회귀분석을 통하여 가설을 검증하였다. 피드백 가치에 대해서는 남성은 수단적 동기와 자아향상 동기가 높을수록 피드백 가치를 높게 인식하는 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 예상과는 달리, 여성은 이미지향상 동기가 높을수록 피드백 가치를 높게 인식하는 것으로 나타났다. 한편, 피드백 비용이 종속변수인 경우, 남성은 수단적 동기와 자아향상 동기가 높을수록 피드백 비용을 낮게 인식하는 반면, 여성의 경우에는 자아향상 동기와 이미지향상 동기가 높을수록 피드백 비용을 높게 인식하는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 피드백추구 동기와 가치 · 비용 인식간의 관계가 성별에 따라 다를 수 있다는 점을 규명함으로써 피드백추구행동 메커니즘에 대한 이해의 폭을 넓혔다는 점에서 의의가 있다. 실무적으로 보면, 조직은 피드백추구가 성과 향상을 위한 핵심적인 과정이라는 점을 교육시키고 상사를 대상으로는 가치 있는 피드백을 제공하는 역량을 강화시킬 필요가 있다는 시사점을 도출할 수 있었다. 특히, 여성 구성원이 피드백 비용을 의식하지 않도록 상사는 여성 구성원에게 피드백을 제공할 때에 편안한 분위기를 조성하는 데에 노력을 기울일 필요가 있을 것이다.
Feedbacks from various sources in organization are important for employees’ job performance. According to literature on FSB, when employees decide to whether they seek feedback from supervisors, they consider feedback value and costs which are associated with FSB. That is, employees’ value-cost perceptions is regarded as critical determinant of FSB. Recently, researchers have paid their attention on FSB motives, such as instrumental, ego enhancement, image enhancement, as one of predictors which can affect value-cost perception, and found that various kinds of employees’ FSB motives have unique relationships with their perceived value of feedback and cost of FSB. Despite this previous findings, there are few examination on when those unique relationships between FSB motives and value-cost perception is more strong and/or weak. In particular, there are not any attempt to investigate such relationships with a perspective of gender difference. Considering that women employees increase in organization and their perceptions on organizations and job may be different with those of men employees, the influences of motives on value-cost perception of FSB can differ according to gender difference. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the gender difference in the relationships three feedback-seeking motives-instrumental, ego enhancement, image enhancement - and value and cost perceptions in FSB. This study developed the hypotheses on gender difference in FSB with perspectives of different features of men and women tendency to seek feedback, organization’s structural characteristics (i.e., glass ceiling), and social role theory. Specifically, we set the hypotheses on main effect of motives on value-cost perception as follows: instrumental motive is positively related to feedback value (Hypo 1-1); negatively related to cost of FSB (Hypo 1-2), ego enhancement motive is positively related to feedback value (Hypo 2-1) and cost of FSB (Hypo 2-2); image enhancement motive is negatively related to feedback value (Hypo 3-1); and positively related to cost of FSB (Hypo 3-2). Regarding moderating effects of gender difference, we expect that: while the positive relationships between instrumental and ego enhancement motive and feedback value is more strong for men (Hypo 4-1, Hypo 4-2), while the positive relationship between ego and image enhancement motive andfeedback cost is more strong for women (Hypo 5-2, Hypo 5-3); the negative relationship between image enhancement motive and feedback value is more strong for women (Hypo 4-3); and the negative relationship between instrumental motive and cost of FSB is more strong for men (Hypo 5-1). The data were collected from 118 Korean employees through self-reported questionnaires and hypotheses were tested through multiple regression analyses. Regarding the roles of gender difference as to feedback value, men employees with instrumental and ego enhancement motive showed higher levels of feedback value, and thus Hypo 5-1 and 5-2 were supported. However, contrast to hypotheses (Hypo 4-3), women employees with image enhancement motive showed higher level of feedback value. Results of moderating effects of gender difference about feedback cost supported our hypothesis (Hypo 5-1, 5-2, 5-3). Results demonstrated that the negative relationships between instrumental motive and feedback cost were stronger for men employee and the positive relationships between ego and image enhancement motive and feedback cost were stronger for female employees. This study contributes to FSB literature by showing that men and women employees have different mechanism in the relationship of feedback-seeking motives and value-cost perception. In practical aspect, this study implies that supervisors need to provide valuable feedback to maleemployees in order for them to perceive high feedback value. In addition, it is needed that supervisorsmake their effort to build a high quality of relationship with women employees and to provideappropriate recognitions to them to lower the cost of FSB. Based on findings, we discussed the implications and limitations and suggested future research agenda.