Performance feedback interviews as affective events: An exploration of the impact of emotion regulation of negative performance feedback on supervisor–employee dyads

Abstract

Emotion has been treated as merely an underlying and implicit phenomenon in organizational performance feedback scholarship and has yet to be examined in its own right. This paper conceptualizes negative performance feedback interviews as affective events that elicit negative emotions in both employees (as feedback receivers) and supervisors (as feedback givers). We argue that both employees and supervisors cope with these emotions, utilizing emotion regulation strategies, which differently impact employees' engagement in learning behaviour through psychological safety, and supervisors' satisfaction with giving negative performance feedback. Drawing on affective events theory (AET), appraisal theory of emotion, emotion regulation and performance feedback literature, we offer theoretical insights that may encourage empirical studies to explore the role emotion regulation plays in performance feedback interviews. Theoretical and human resource management implications are discussed.