Paul Green from Harvard Business School studied both field data and lab results on the effect of negative feedback and came to the conclusion that negative feedback, often under the name of constructive feedback, only leads to improvement under one condition - the feedback is received in a broad context of affirmation.
When negative feedback is received, people are more likely to avoid the people who gave the feedback and look for other “confirming relationships” somewhere else. Negative feedback manifests itself as a psychological threat, leading to anxiety and depression. It’s not something we can control or correct. People will always want to do something to feel better, lifted up, and, most importantly, valued in social interactions.
It is not to say that “shite sandwich” is the correct format to give feedback because it provides an affirmative context. The people who receive feedback must genuinely feel valued to mitigate the ill feelings.
Reference
- Harvard Business Review. (2015). How to Handle Negative Feedback. [online] Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/08/how-to-handle-negative-feedback.