This paper examines how organizations respond when different types of aspiration provide different performance feedbacks. We analyze the effects of performance feedback with respect to two different types of aspiration, historical and social, on R&D decision-making. We attempt to resolve the contradictory prior findings regarding the effects of performance feedback by employing insights from attribution theory. We predict that firms will reduce R&D investment when negative performance feedback is received in terms of historical aspiration level due to self-enhancement, but that they will expand R&D investment when negative performance feedback is based on social aspiration level due to self-deprecation. We also predict that firms will increase R&D investment when performance is lower than historical aspiration level and higher than social aspiration level, but will decrease it when performance is lower than social aspiration level and higher than historical aspiration level. We further predict that since performance failures at both aspiration levels place firms under pressure in opposite directions, their effects are likely to offset each other. The results of our empirical analysis of R&D investment by Korean shipbuilding companies supported all the hypotheses. Based on these results, we propose a number of implications for researchers and managers.

本文研究了当不同类型的愿望提供不同的绩效反馈时，组织如何应对。我们分析了关于两种不同类型的愿望（历史和社会）的绩效反馈对研发决策的影响。我们试图通过运用归因理论的见解来解决关于绩效反馈影响的先前发现的矛盾。我们预测，当企业因自我提升而收到历史期望水平的负面绩效反馈时，会减少研发投入，但当负面绩效反馈基于社会期望水平时，企业会因自我贬低而扩大研发投入。我们还预测企业将增加研发 D 在绩效低于历史期望水平和高于社会期望水平时投资，但在绩效低于社会期望水平和高于历史期望水平时减少。我们进一步预测，由于两个期望水平的绩效失败使公司承受相反方向的压力，因此它们的影响可能会相互抵消。我们对韩国造船公司研发投资的实证分析结果支持了所有假设。基于这些结果，我们提出了一些对研究人员和管理者的影响。我们进一步预测，由于两个期望水平的绩效失败使公司承受相反方向的压力，因此它们的影响可能会相互抵消。我们对韩国造船公司研发投资的实证分析结果支持了所有假设。基于这些结果，我们提出了一些对研究人员和管理者的影响。我们进一步预测，由于两个期望水平的绩效失败使公司承受相反方向的压力，因此它们的影响可能会相互抵消。我们对韩国造船公司研发投资的实证分析结果支持了所有假设。基于这些结果，我们提出了一些对研究人员和管理者的影响。