How Managers Self-Sabotage When Giving Negative Feedback

Communication gaps between managers and their employees widen when delivering criticism.

Studies show that managers consistently fail to communicate corrective feedback clearly. This failure often leads to misunderstanding, negatively affects performance and is a major source of frustration for employees and HR professionals.

Delivering negative feedback can be uncomfortable and difficult for managers

Prior research has found that managers often cloud criticism in a favourable light, leading employees to interpret feedback more positively than expected.

The predominant assumption regarding this phenomenon, referred to as ‘feedback inflation’, is that managers intentionally sugar coat criticism to avoid interpersonal conflict.

Consequently, commonly used interventions for reducing feedback inflation tend to focus on relieving managers’ discomfort about communicating negative feedback.