The Effects of Interrater and Self‐other Agreement on Performance Improvement Following Upward Feedback

This study investigated (a) whether performance improvement following upward feedback is related to self‐other rating discrepancies, (b) how self‐ratings change after feedback, and (c) whether agreement among raters influences performance improvement. Self‐ratings and subordinate ratings were collected from 1,888 managers at 2 points in time 1 year apart. Using polynomial regression equations, we determined that managers who overrated themselves relative to how others rated them tended to improve their performance from 1 year to the next, and underraters tended to decline. This is consistent with what would be predicted by self‐consistency theory (Korman, 1976). Self‐ratings tended to decrease for overraters and increase for underraters, but this effect was not constant throughout the range of self‐ratings. Agreement among subordinate raters was negatively related to performance improvement, but this is likely a reflection of differential regression to the mean.