Addressing the effects of reactivity in staff management

While observation and feedback are commonly used to promote correct staff performance, reactivity remains an important consideration. Reactivity refers to changes in behavior when staff are aware they are being observed, often resulting in higher implementation fidelity when a supervisor is present and lower performance when supervisors are absent. This paper examines research on reactivity in staff management, highlighting how observation and feedback influence staff performance in human-service environments. Interventions to maintain performance in the absence of a supervisor have included self-monitoring, inconspicuous observation with feedback, or combinations of both. Inconspicuous observation with feedback has generally promoted correct performance under supervisor-absent conditions, whereas self-monitoring has shown mixed results. The findings emphasize the importance of designing staff management strategies that ensure both treatment fidelity and feasibility, particularly in contexts where direct supervision is limited or intermittent. Applied implications and future research directions are also discussed.