The role of leader empathic concern is examined in the context of negative feedback delivery. We argue that leader displays of empathic concern decrease negative affect and increase positive affect following negative feedback, resulting in more positive evaluations of the leader's feedback-giving effectiveness and improving the leader's promotability. In a video-based online experiment (Study 1) using a US sample (n = 177), both conditions experienced a decline in negative affect over the course of the feedback episode; however, participants exposed to leader empathic concern experienced a significantly greater increase in positive affect and evaluated the leader's behaviour as more effective than those in the control condition. In a field-study (Study 2) using archived multisource data on a sample of organizational leaders (n = 306), the positive relationship between leader negative feedback quality (subordinate-rated) and (boss-rated) promotability was strengthened by subordinate perceptions of leader empathic concern.Practitioner points Leaders should show empathic concern when delivering feedback to subordinates. Leaders should be trained in how to recognize subordinates' emotional reactions and to communicate their understanding and concern for subordinates' well-being during the provision of performance feedback. Organizations should reward leaders who demonstrate empathic concern for their subordinates when providing feedback. Leaders should be educated about the career-related benefits associated with demonstrating highquality negative feedback and empathic concern.

Organizations engaged in international operations must navigate complex intercultural dynamics for successful performance, necessitating identification of individuals who are likely to succeed in these environments and training personnel in cross-cultural competence (3C). To do so, adequate competency models of 3C need to be developed and valid 3C assessment instruments must be identified or generated. The present chapter reviews issues and challenges in 3C model development and illustrates these problems in an analysis of the Defense Language Office's Framework for Cross-Cultural Competence. The comparative advantages of competency versus causal models of 3C are discussed and an integration of competency and causal models is suggested. An examination of 34 instruments that have been recommended in the 3C civilian and military literatures for assessing cross-cultural competencies and their antecedent factors showed that existing 3C measures suffer from poor construct validity and have not been empirically linked to important outcome variables. A measurement strategy that eschews self-report methods and broadly assesses KSAOs and behavioral competencies is advocated.

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