Chinese reactions to performance feedback: Non‐task attributions of feedback intentions

Two studies examined how feedback content and recipients' attributions for supervisor motivations in providing feedback influence Chinese recipients' affective reactions. The results show that fine details in the feedback message are lost, with no perceived differences between objective or subjective feedback elements. Additionally, reactions to feedback were moderated by the recipients' attributions for why the supervisor had provided feedback, and these attributions were strongly influenced by prior relationships. When recipients have poor relationships with the supervisor, feedback is perceived as a message about the relationship rather than about poor performance. It is concluded that the social (non-task) elements of performance feedback are as important as the task-performance-related elements.