IntroductionEvery organization faces a shortage of resources, including skilled human resources. This requires an emphasis on performance so that organizations can hire as few employees as possible while raising performance to the highest possible levels. Contemporary managers are tasked with increasing employee motivation so as to increase employee performance. This means that managers must provide timely performance feedback in order to give direction to employees. Performance feedback is not a one-off matter, but is a critical component in the continuous improvement of the contemporary workforce (Anseel, Lievens, & Schollaert, 2009, p. 24). Performance feedback provides employees with the knowledge necessary to change their behavior in order to improve individual and consequently group performance. In the absence of performance feedback, employees are left in doubt as they contemplate which areas to focus more effort on in order to develop professionally. Aguinis, Gottfredson, and Joo (2012, p. 105) define performance management as the provision of information regarding an employee's past conduct performance against stated goals and standards of behavior and results. The goal of performance feedback is to help the employee improve individual and team performance, employee engagement and motivation, and ultimately, job satisfaction. Although there is consensus that performance feedback helps in achieving the aforementioned organizational goals, managers are often uncomfortable providing performance feedback. On other occasions, the feedback provided does more harm than good in helping employees change behavior and improve performance. Aguinis, Gottfredson, and Joo (2012, p. 105) report on a research-based approach… halfway through the article. Business Horizons 55: 105-111. Anseel, F., Lievens, F., & Schollaert, E. (2009). Reflection as a strategy to improve task performance after feedback. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 110: 23-35. Ligon, G.S., Graham, K.A., Edwards, A., Osburn, H.K., & Hunter, S.T. (2012). Performance management: evaluating performance, providing feedback and developing creativity. Handbook of organizational creativity 633-666. New York: Elsevier, INC. Oettingen, G., Marquardt, M. K., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2012). Mental contrast turns positive feedback on creative potential into successful performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 48: 990-996.Renn, R.W. (2003). Moderation by goal commitment of the feedback-performance relationship: Theoretical explanation and preliminary study. Review of human resources management 13: 561-580.