Acting on employee feedback is a key means for leaders to grow and improve. Yet knowing what to do with this feedback can be complicated: Should you implement changes right away so that employees feel heard? Should you acknowledge these changes, or will that make you seem weak?
In a recent research article published in the Academy of Management Journal, we examine how employees evaluate changes made by their leaders in response to feedback. We find that not all changes are warmly received. Instead, some are interpreted as a sign that the leader lacks authenticity—that their efforts to improve are half-hearted and insincere.