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A dimensional analysis of supervisor and subordinate attributions of success and failure
Author(s) -
Huber Vandra L.,
Podsakoff Philip M.,
Todor William D.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/job.4030060204
Subject(s) - luck , attribution , psychology , social psychology , need for achievement , task (project management) , causality (physics) , supervisor , management , theology , economics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
Supervisors in five organizations and subordinates in three organizations were asked how important four primary causes of behaviour—motivation, ability, luck and task difficulty—were as causes of subordinate performance. Consistent across all eight samples, organizational members perceived motivation and ability as more important causes of subordinate success than failure. Task difficulty was perceived as a more important determinant of failure than task ease was of success. Luck was the least important cause of both success and failure. Factor analysis revealed that supervisors and subordinates utilized the internal‐external locus of causality dimension to explain subordinate success and failure. It was concluded that organizational members rely upon similar causal schemata to explain performance outcomes.