The effects of supervisory negative feedback and coaching on employees' responses to feedback: The moderating role of mindset

Abstract

Feedback is a vital human resource development (HRD) practice, extensively researched and used to regulate employee behavior and performance. However, despite a century of research and immense significance and use, we still do not fully know why some accept feedback while others reject it. Critics blame both providers and recipients, as well as feedback message format, for this failure. In this study, I investigated whether the focus of the supervisory feedback (negative vs. negative and facilitative) could enhance employees' responses to feedback (e.g., acceptance and use). I also examined whether employees' mindset (i.e., fixed vs. growth) would moderate these relationships. I proposed that employee coaching (i.e., negative and facilitative) would be more accepted than negative feedback alone. In addition, I expected a positive moderating role of the growth mindset between supervisory feedback and employees' responses. To test these assumptions, I conducted a laboratory experimental vignette study (N = 69). In line with propositions, employee coaching had a larger effect on the employees' responses to feedback (e.g., feedback acceptance; M = 4.95, SD = 1.24) than negative feedback alone (M = 4.08, SD = 1.35). In addition, simple slope results showed that employee coaching was significantly higher than negative feedback for growth mindset (i.e., +1 SD). Finally, path analysis revealed that the interaction between negative feedback, employee coaching, and mindset yielded the strongest positive effect on employees' responses to feedback. Overall, findings add to and endorse calls for more future-focused HRD practices during feedback interventions. In addition, for effective feedback, this study calls for HRD practitioners to account for all critical factors involved in feedback exchanges, from provider to recipient and feedback message.