Is feedback delivered by an expert sufficient to improve performance? In two studies, we
tested, following failure, the influence of group membership (ingroup/outgroup) and source
expertise (high/low) on the effectiveness of attributional feedback on performance. Results
revealed a significant interactive effect, showing an increase of performance only when the
source was an expert ingroup member (Study 1). This interaction was replicated on
performance and success expectations in Study 2, which were significantly higher for high
compared to low expertise ingroup sources. These data suggest that sharing a common
identity with those you lead may help convert expert performance advice into real
performance benefits