work needs to be done before noon when we begin to have heavier customer traffic.

To determine if instructions are clear, a manager should check for the three C's. Is the instruction complete, concise, and concrete? For example, the instruction. "Take care of the shipment of new shirts when you get a chance," does not meet the C's. It may seem adequate because a manager may assume that the subordinate is thinking along the same lines. The instruction could be clearer: "Count the shipment of new shirts to make sure they're the same as the billing order. If they match the billing, place them on the appropriate shelves. If there are any discrepancies, let me know. This work needs to be done before noon when we begin to have heavier customer traffic." While this second instruction takes more time and effort than the first, it meets :he C's . If this instruction were not complete. the shirts might not be placed on a shelves until the end of the day, at which time the manager might think that the employee was not motivatedOf course, many jobs are more ambiguous, and the employees have a great deal of freedom to detennine what they should be working on and when they should do it. Even though managers and employees do not have constant contact in these jobs, feedback is still imponant According to Scanlon, the value of feedback varies according to the time interval between results, the extent to which the feedback deals with the total situation" and the extent to which it dwells on matters under the worker's control. This is the essence of establishing expectations through feedback.

An effective manager must periodically establish

expectancies at a time interval appropriate to the nature of job. Simply stating from time to time "You're doing a fine job" does not meet the elements of the C's, and formal yearly performance review is too great a period of time
between feedback. A periodic conversation dealing with'specific expectations of the job helps to guarantee continued performance. In fact, the element that makes sports so exciting is that a definite scoring system provides feedback. The players know exactly where they stand relative to the goals and know what they have to do to win the game. Most jobs do not have a precise scoring system, but an insightful manager can provide accurate and timely feedback.

This feedback needs to be provided at both a micro and a macro level. As suggested by Scanlon's comment, feedback must deal with the total situation as well as with the elements within the situation. It is valuable feedback for an accountant to know that his or her audits are taking longer than they should; however, an in-depth discussion may reveal what particular type accounts or systems are causing the problem. Then, too, the person needs to knowprecisely the areas in which he is doing excellent work as well.