Feedback to the Forefront: How and When Supervisor Developmental Feedback Fosters Civil Servants’ Taking-Charge Behavior

Based on social information processing (SIP) theory, this study examines the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and civil servants’ taking-charge behavior by exploring the mediating role of responsibility awareness and the moderating role of workplace inclusion. A multi-wave field study was conducted with data collected from 229 civil servants working in four local government institutions in China. The results show that supervisor developmental feedback is positively related to civil servants’ taking-charge behavior by increasing the perception of constructive responsibility. In addition, we found that workplace inclusion moderates not only the relationship between constructive responsibility perception and taking-charge behavior but also the indirect relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and taking-charge behavior via the constructive responsibility perception. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings in light of their implications for future research and practice.