1st Edition

Attribution Theory An Organizational Perspective

By Mark Martinko Copyright 1995

    With Special Contributions from Bernard Weiner Ph.D. (UCLA) and Robert Lord Ph.D. (Univ. of Akron)
    Attribution theory is concerned with peoples causal explanation for outcomes: successes and failures. The basic premise is that beliefs about outcomes are a primary determinant of expectations and, consequently, future behavior. Attribution theory articulates how this process occurs and provides a basis for understanding that translates into practical action.
    Attribution Theory: An Organizational Perspective serves as a primary sourcebook of attribution theory as it relates to management and organizational behavior. The text provides an integrated explanation of the role and function of attribution theory in the organization. This important new book contains original empirical research relating attributions to leader evaluations, reactions to information technologies, management of diverse work groups, achievement, and executive succession and power. The contributors are from a variety of disciplines including management, psychology, education, educational psychology, and sociology.

    Introduction
    Attributions and the Emergence of Leadership
    Fixing Blame in N-Person Attributions: A Social Identity Model for Attributional Processes in Newly Formed Cross-Functional Groups
    Group Disruptive Justice Norms and Attributions for Performance Outcomes as a Function of Group Power Distribution
    Negative Affectivity and Failure at Work
    Attributions Concerning Absence from Work
    Computer Friend or Foe? The Influence of Optimistic vs. Pessimistic Attributional Styles and Gender on User Reactions and Performance
    Organizational Politics and Citizenship
    The Effect of Demographic Diversity on Casual Attributions of Work-Group Success and Failure
    Supervisory Attributions and Evaluative Judgments of Subordinate Performance
    A Mid-Range Theory of the Leader/Member Attribution Process in Professional Service Organizations
    The Measurement of Attributions in Organizational Research
    The Role of Cognitive Load in Supervisor Attributions of Subordinate Behavior
    Realizing the Advantages of Organizational Interdependencies: The Role of Attributionally-Mediated Emotions
    The Development and Evaluation of a Scale to Measure Organizational Attribution Style
    A Comparison of the Validity, Predictiveness and Consistency of a Trait vs. Situational Measure of Attributions
    Future Directions
    Index

    Biography

    Martinko, Mark