Ask a group of managers for their tips on providing effective feedback, and the ‘sandwich’ method is sure to be put forward as a winning approach.
Most of us have been taught this approach at some stage in our careers.
The theory goes that when you need to deliver some negative feedback to somebody you need to sandwich it between two pieces of positive feedback. In fact, many people use a slightly more uncouth term for this so-called feedback sandwich, indicating that the approach should be used particularly when delivering some very difficult negative/constructive feedback.
I asked several groups of managers why they advocate the use of the feedback sandwich. The most common responses included:
“People need a balance of positive and negative feedback”.
“Some people won’t be able to handle the negative feedback so it is easier if you start and end with the positives”.
“If you are delivering negative feedback you want to finish on a positive note so that they leave the conversation feeling motivated”.
The intention behind people’s use of the sandwich method is admirable – maintaining the esteem of team members is important. Very few people perform at their best when demoralised or anxious.
However, the feedback sandwich has the potential to undermine the feedback culture in any team for the following reasons:
- Feedback should be delivered as soon as possible following the behaviour observed – the sandwich technique implies that a number of pieces of feedback have been saved up over time and then delivered in one hit.
- People see through the feedback sandwich – the use of a positive either side of the negative feedback is generally easy to spot and the person providing the feedback risks being perceived as insincere or lacking in courage.
- Many people will mainly remember or focus on the negative rather than the two positive pieces of feedback anyway – and if the positive feedback is actually genuine it gets lost in the clutter of the sandwich.
It needs to be asked: are we using the sandwich method to make it more effective for the feedback receiver or as an avoidance tool for ourselves as sender?
Constructive cultures are built upon regular and honest feedback and trust between team members. Perhaps we under-estimate the ability of people to receive and act upon negative feedback. Many (but not all) people are keen to hear about where they can improve and generally don’t perceive constructive feedback as a negative.
The feedback sandwich doesn’t have a place in a high performing team. As a manager, if you set the feedback expectation with your team then they will expect and perhaps seek feedback that can help them perform at their best – no sandwich needed.
* Blog post completed without any culinary related puns – it was touch and go.
I believe that the sandwich method is designed to make it easier for the provider of the feedback to speak their piece. I agree wholeheartedly that it is not an effective way to deliver feedback. The most effective way to deliver feedback is directly. Feedback that is delivered in a timely manner will always be the most effective method.
Thanks for reading the post and making a comment. There seem to be a lot of people who think the sandwich method is ineffective yet it is also so accepted as good practice by many others – puzzling! By the way I enjoy reading your blog.
Great post- as a relatively new and inexperienced manager, my take on it is that the “sandwich” method is for the benefit of the manager rather than the employee. It can be very confronting to provide staff with honest, critical (hopefully constructive!) feedback and sugar coating with positives helps you get through the conversation. As it happens, in my experience I found it did indeed end up watering down the critical feedback as well as the positive, which is not an ideal outcome for the employee. Thanks for the great article!
Hi Greg what a useful example you use in your comment. It demonstrates how despite the great intentions the use of the feedback sandwich can end up with both the sender and receiver of the feedback being in a worse position than before the feedback was delivered. As a newish manager you have already learned a valuable lesson that will then help you approach the situation more effectively next time. Let me know how you go!
I think a lot has to do with knowing your subordinate.. as any good manager should. Some people might benefit from a bit of sandwich “schmooze”, others might prefer a more direct approach. The secret is tact. But using the sandwich approach tends to suggest conflict avoidence a bit on the part of the manager; managers are human too.