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  • April 16, 2019
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

Research Confirms: When Receiving Bad News, We Shoot the Messenger

By: Leslie John, Hayley Blunden and Heidi Liu
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

Most jobs require us at some point to deliver bad news—whether it be a minor revelation such as a recruiter telling a prospective employee that there’s no wiggle room in salary, or something major, like when a manager must fire an employee. We dread such discussions even when the revelations aren’t at all our fault. It turns out that our aversion is for good reason. Our research shows that people are prone to derogating those who tell them things they don’t want to hear—we shoot the messenger.

Keywords

Interpersonal Communication; Perception; Judgments

Citation

John, Leslie, Hayley Blunden, and Heidi Liu. "Research Confirms: When Receiving Bad News, We Shoot the Messenger." Harvard Business Review (website) (April 16, 2019).
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About The Author

Leslie K. John

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • November–December 2020
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    Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency

    By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
    • July 15, 2020
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    The Implications of Working Without an Office

    By: Ethan Bernstein, Hayley Blunden, Andrew Brodsky, Wonbin Sohn and Ben Waber
    • 2020
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    The Bulletproof Glass Effect: When Privacy Notices Backfire

    By: Aaron R. Brough, David A. Norton and Leslie John
More from the Authors
  • Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
  • The Implications of Working Without an Office By: Ethan Bernstein, Hayley Blunden, Andrew Brodsky, Wonbin Sohn and Ben Waber
  • The Bulletproof Glass Effect: When Privacy Notices Backfire By: Aaron R. Brough, David A. Norton and Leslie John
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