| Course | MGT 514 Human Relations Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | MBA reflective paper |
| Length | About 1,035 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Master of Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 514 Module 3
Told I Dropped the Ball, Then Asked to Coach the Crews: Giving and Receiving Feedback on a Roofing Project
Student Name
Master of Business Administration, Aspen University
MGT 514: Human Relations Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Told I Dropped the Ball, Then Asked to Coach the Crews: Giving and Receiving Feedback on a Roofing Project
I coordinate projects for Heartland Commercial Roofing, a composite contractor in Omaha, Nebraska, that installs and repairs roofs on schools, warehouses and stores. My job is to schedule crews, order materials, arrange inspections and keep customers informed. Last summer, I scheduled a fire marshal inspection for the wrong week on a school roof. The crew finished on time, but the building could not reopen until the inspection, which delayed the school's opening by a week. The next morning, the project manager said in front of three crews that the delay was "on you" and that I needed to "get it together." Two months later, the company asked me to give regular feedback to three crew foremen on safety and site cleanup. All three have more than fifteen years in the field. This paper reflects on feedback in both directions.
When Feedback Backfires
Kluger and DeNisi (1996) pooled hundreds of feedback studies. The average effect was positive, yet in over a third of the comparisons the people who received feedback ended up performing worse than those who did not. Their analysis suggested that feedback helped when it directed attention to the task and how to do it better, and harmed when it directed attention to the self, threatening a person's self-image. Public criticism, praise that compares people to others and vague judgments tend to shift attention to the self. The project manager's comment did exactly that: I spent the following week worrying about my standing, not about the scheduling system that had let the error through.
Why I Stopped Asking
Ashford et al. (2003) reviewed two decades of research on feedback seeking. People seek feedback for instrumental reasons, to improve, but they weigh ego costs, the pain of hearing bad news, and image costs, the risk of looking unsure or incompetent in front of others. They can seek feedback directly, by asking, or indirectly, by watching how others react. After the crew meeting, I stopped asking the project manager how I was doing and relied on reading his mood, an indirect method that told me little.
Hearing Hard Feedback
Stone and Heen (2014) argued that the hardest part of feedback is often receiving it, and identified three triggers. Truth triggers arise when feedback seems wrong or unfair. Relationship triggers arise from who gives it and how. Identity triggers arise when feedback threatens how we see ourselves. They also distinguished three kinds of feedback, appreciation, coaching and evaluation, which people often confuse. My reaction combined all three triggers: the error was partly the shared calendar's fault, the comment came publicly and I see myself as reliable.
Four Conversations
| Conversation | What happened | Research insight | What I would do differently |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project manager's public criticism | I said nothing, then avoided him | Feedback on the self; identity trigger | Ask privately what he needs from me on inspections |
| My follow-up email about the calendar | He replied "just fix it" | Truth trigger on both sides | Propose a specific checklist, not a defense |
| Telling a foreman his crew left debris | He walked away | My feedback felt like evaluation, not coaching | Ask what slowed cleanup; agree a plan together |
| Thanking a foreman for a safe week | He smiled and said no one had said that before | Appreciation matters on its own | Make appreciation regular and specific |
What the Error Actually Was
Looking back without the sting of the meeting, the missed inspection had several causes. I had entered the date in the shared calendar, but the fire marshal's office changed it by email to an address I rarely checked. No one else reviewed inspection dates, and the crew lead assumed the inspection was booked because the calendar said so. The project manager was right that I owned the schedule. He was less right that the fault was mine alone. A task-focused conversation would have found the email problem in five minutes; the public criticism found nothing.
What I Did Afterward
For two weeks after the meeting, I double-checked everything, worked late and stopped sharing problems early, afraid of another public correction. Ashford and colleagues' image costs describe this well: I stopped seeking feedback precisely when I most needed it. The pattern broke only when the project manager, noticing my silence, asked how things were going and I told him about the email address. He fixed the forwarding that afternoon.
Giving Feedback to Experienced Foremen
My conversation about debris failed because I led with a judgment to someone who knows roofing far better than I do. Kluger and DeNisi's findings suggest focusing on the task: the debris on the school playground, the risk to children and what would make cleanup easier. Stone and Heen's distinction suggests separating coaching, which the foremen may not want from me, from appreciation, which they rarely receive, and from evaluation, which belongs to the project manager.
What the Foremen Taught Me
After the debris conversation failed, I asked the most experienced foreman to walk a site with me. He showed me that cleanup slowed because the dumpster was placed for the delivery truck's convenience, not the crew's, so debris had to be carried across the roof. Moving the dumpster solved most of the problem. Feedback that starts with a question, as Stone and Heen suggest, often uncovers causes the person giving feedback could not see.
A Plan for Both Directions
To receive feedback better, I will ask the project manager for ten minutes every two weeks with one question: what is one thing I could do better on my current projects? I will write down the answer before reacting. To give feedback better, I will open conversations with foremen by asking what they see on site, focus on specific tasks and give appreciation weekly, separate from any correction. I also proposed an inspection checklist, reviewed by two people, which the project manager approved.
Conclusion
The public criticism I received shows what Kluger and DeNisi's research predicts: feedback aimed at the person can lower performance. Ashford and colleagues explain why I stopped seeking feedback, and Stone and Heen explain my reactions. The same lessons now shape how I give feedback to the foremen.
References
Ashford, S. J., Blatt, R., & VandeWalle, D. (2003). Reflections on the looking glass: A review of research on feedback-seeking behavior in organizations. Journal of Management, 29(6), 773-799. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(03)00079-5
Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 254-284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254
Stone, D., & Heen, S. (2014). Thanks for the feedback: The science and art of receiving feedback well. Viking.
MGT 514 Module 3 instructions, in plain terms
Communication and feedback are the focus of Module 3 in Aspen's MGT 514. Students commonly reflect on feedback they have received or given and apply research to do it better. Check the classroom's Module 3 instructions; the example here is one coordinator's experience. Describe specific feedback conversations, including what was said and what followed. Use research on how feedback affects performance and why it sometimes backfires, with figures where available. Consider your own reactions to feedback and why, using a framework for the triggers involved. Examine how you give feedback to others, including a conversation that went badly. Set a plan for seeking, receiving and giving feedback, with concrete practices.
How the MGT 514 Module 3 example is put together
The writer coordinates schedules, materials and inspections for Heartland Commercial Roofing. After a missed fire marshal inspection delayed a school roof by a week, the project manager criticized the writer at a crew meeting. Kluger and DeNisi's Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis found feedback interventions raised performance on average, yet over a third lowered it, particularly when feedback focused attention on the self. Ashford, Blatt and VandeWalle's Journal of Management review describes motives for seeking feedback and the costs people fear. Stone and Heen's book on receiving feedback identifies truth, relationship and identity triggers. A table examines four conversations, including one where the writer told a foreman his crew left debris and the foreman walked away. The plan schedules regular feedback requests, separates appreciation, coaching and evaluation, and focuses feedback on tasks.
Where the marks sit in the MGT 514 Module 3 rubric
Marks for a feedback paper depend on real conversations described in detail, research used correctly and a plan that covers taking feedback as well as offering it. This example examines real moments rather than general advice. Kluger and DeNisi's meta-analysis explains why the public criticism backfired even though the error was real. Ashford, Blatt and VandeWalle's review explains why the writer had stopped asking for feedback after being criticized in public. Stone and Heen's triggers explain the writer's own reactions. The table and plan connect research to behavior, and the plan pairs a small habit for receiving feedback with one for giving it, both practiced every week.
MGT 514 Module 3 help from the desk
Feedback papers often repeat familiar advice such as the sandwich method without examining real conversations. Describe what was said, how it was received and what followed. Another weakness is assuming feedback always helps; the evidence shows that comments aimed at someone's character rather than their work can make things worse. Reflect on your own reactions honestly. Consider why you might avoid asking for feedback. Recommend practices for both directions, and show what a better conversation would sound like. Finally, choose one or two changes you can practice weekly, rather than a long list. Notice what kind of feedback each conversation called for: appreciation, coaching or evaluation.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MGT 514 Module 3 questions, answered
What does MGT 514 Module 3 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 514 covers communication and feedback in this module, so an MBA paper reflecting on giving and receiving feedback with research is typical. Read your classroom prompt.
Does feedback always improve performance?
No. Kluger and DeNisi found feedback interventions improved performance on average but lowered it in over a third of cases, especially when attention shifted to the self.
Why do people avoid asking for feedback?
Ashford, Blatt and VandeWalle describe ego and image costs: people fear hearing bad news or looking incompetent by asking.
Where can I find a free MGT 514 Module 3 sample paper?
The example above reflects on a roofing project coordinator's experience receiving and giving feedback, with a plan for both.
What are feedback triggers?
Stone and Heen's three reactions that block feedback: truth triggers (it seems wrong), relationship triggers (about who gave it) and identity triggers (it threatens how we see ourselves).