THE EFFECTS OF ATTRIBUTION AND SOCIAL CONTEXT ON SUPERIORS' INFLUENCE AND INTERACTION WITH LOW PERFORMING SUBORDINATES

Organizations need to create the conditions in which superiors use their power effectively and appropriately, perhaps especially when subordinates are performing inadequately. Ninety undergraduates became managers who interacted with a low performing worker who demonstrated either insufficient ability or motivation. The managers also believed that their goals were cooperatively, individualistically, or competitively linked to the subordinate. Results identify situational variables that moderate superiors' influence. Generally, the social context affected the orientation to the subordinate in that cooperative compared to competitive superiors expected mutual assistance, communicated supportively, and gave assistance. Attribution affected the choice of influence methods and the attitudes of superiors. Superiors used threats and came to dislike the low effort subordinate, but wanted to work again with the low ability subordinate. Cooperation fostered attraction even when the other performed ineffectively, provided the reason was inadequate ability and not inadequate motivation. Evidence also suggests that competition creates a rigid response to the low performing subordinate whereas cooperative supervisors flexibly respond to the specific shortcoming of subordinates.     

AGREEMENT BETWEEN SUBORDINATE AND SELF-RATINGS IN UPWARD FEEDBACK

This study examines measures of agreement between subordinate and self-ratings of leadership and boss/subordinate relationships in an upward feedback process conducted in a large department. Ratings were provided for 86 target managers from an average of six subordinates per manager. Individual characteristics of the target manager (sex and age) and organizational characteristics of the work unit (the target manager's organizational level and organizational unit, line or staff) were examined as correlates of agreement. Profile agreement (the correlation between self-ratings and the average subordinates'ratings across 48 items) was higher for female than male target managers, and was higher in line than staff units. Also, profile agreement increased over time for the 39 target managers rated one year later. Other findings indicated psychometric properties of upward feedback data. For instance, profile agreement was positively related to the number of subordinates in the work group. The discussion focuses on the need for research on variables that influence the reliability and usefulness of upward feedback data.     

Employee reactions to supervision and work evaluation as a function of subordinate and manager sex

The influence of sex of manager and sex of subordinate on subordinates' reactions to supervision and work evaluation was examined. Attitude data from 463 office employees were analyzed within an ANOVA framework. There were 296 female subordinates and 35 male subordinates working under women managers and 111 female subordinates and 21 males subordinates working under men managers. The hypothesized interaction effect for sex of manager and sex of subordinate on reactions to supervision and work evaluation was supported in only one of four tests. Male subordinates working for male managers were least likely to understand how their performance was evaluated. There were no significant results when subordinate ratings of general supervision, performance ratings, and manager favoritism were used as dependent variables. The results are discussed in terms of sex-role stereotypes and actual job behaviors of men and women managers.     

Managerial Control Strategies for Poor Performance over Time and the Impact on Subordinate Reactions

Using a longitudinal lab design, the evolving nature of control strategies enacted by managers in responding to poor performing subordinates was examined from both the manager′s and the subordinate′s perspective. Control strategies, characterized by the manager′s use of corrective actions and verbal influence tactics, were found to be somewhat related to the severity of the particular incident. Managers showed consistency in their control strategies with punitive corrective actions and verbal influence tactics tending to be repeatedly used with a poor performing subordinate. However, managers were also found to experiment with punitive corrective actions and verbal influence tactics across time, apparently searching for effective control strategies. The subordinate′s perceptions of interactional justice were also examined and found to be related to the control strategies enacted by the managers.     

Preferential selection and stereotypes: Effects on evaluation of female leader performance,subordinate goal commitment,and task performance

In a laboratory setting, 135 undergraduate students (69 male, 66 female; approximately 98% white) completed a mock class scheduling task led by a female confederate who was chosen either preferentially or by merit. Results indicated that (1) subordinate evaluations of female leader performance were not affected by preferential selection, but were significantly related to degree of non-traditional views held toward female managers; (2) commitment to the goal assigned by the female leader was not lessened by preferential selection, but also was significantly related to degree of non-traditional views toward female managers; and (3) subordinate performance on the scheduling task was significantly related to commitment to the leader-assigned goal.     

Self-serving Bias and Actor-Observer Differences In Organizations: An Empirical Analysis1

Self-serving attributional bias is the tendency for a subordinate to attribute personal (internal) cause for successful performance but to assign cause for failures to external factors. The actor-observed difference in attribution is the tendency for concerned observers (managers) of a subordinate's performance to attribute cause for the performance to factors internal to the subordinate, in direct opposition to the subordinate's external attribution for the same performance. This research investigated both phenomena. Twenty-four experienced managers served as manager/subjects in simulated appraisal situations. Subjects with prior work experience served as subordinate/subjects. Each manager participated in four separate simulated performance appraisals, under differing conditions of objective performance and work history, for a total of 96 interactions. The results revealed a strong self-serving bias on the part of subordinates. The results also strongly supported the notion of an actor-observer difference in performance attribution. Subordinates tended to attribute more externally and managers tended to attribute more internally (to the subordinate), regardless of performance level. The research also served to delineate and articulate the relationship between self-serving bias and actor-observer differences.     

Sex and least preferred co-worker score effects in leadership behavior

This study investigated the subordinate liking and the leadership style of male and female managers in a simulated business activity. Sixty-seven female and 290 male undergraduate and graduate business students participated in this study. Female managers, on average, were not less well liked, nor were they more accommodative than male managers. Among managers classified as distinctly accommodative, females were not better liked than males; among managers classified as distinctly directive, females were significantly better liked than males. Under pressure to act in a directive manner, males tended to make use of their secondary leadership style as defined by F. E. Fiedler (1972), while females did not.     

THE EFFECTS OF INTERRATER AND SELF-OTHER AGREEMENT ON PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT FOLLOWING UPWARD FEEDBACK

This study investigated (a) whether performance improvement following upward feedback is related to self-other rating discrepancies, (b) how self-ratings change after feedback, and (c) whether agreement among raters influences performance improvement. Self-ratings and subordinate ratings were collected from 1,888 managers at 2 points in time 1 year apart. Using polynomial regression equations, we determined that managers who overrated themselves relative to how others rated them tended to improve their performance from 1 year to the next, and underraters tended to decline. This is consistent with what would be predicted by self-consistency theory (Korman, 1976). Self-ratings tended to decrease for overraters and increase for underraters, but this effect was not constant throughout the range of self-ratings. Agreement among subordinate raters was negatively related to performance improvement, but this is likely a reflection of differential regression to the mean.     

Job Characteristics and Biases in Subordinates' Appraisals of Managers

This article develops a general model relating job characteristics to biases in the perception of managers' abilities. A 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects design was used to vary managerial task complexity, subordinate task complexity, and managers' rates of giving orders. The subjects were 216 upper-level undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to 72 three-person groups. Relative, but not absolute, levels of task complexity biased subordinates' evaluations of managers. This finding is consistent with equity theory and with leadership theories that emphasize the relative contributions of leaders and group members. Procedures that increased order-giving increased subordinates' appraisals of managers when managers performed either relatively more or relatively less complex work than did subordinates, but had no effect under equal complexity conditions. The results are discussed in terms of leader-member exchange theories and contingency theories of leadership (Dienesch & Liden, 1986; Fiedler & Chemers, 1984; Graen, Novak, & Sommerkamp, 1982; Kerr & Jermier, 1978).     

Female perceptions of female and male managerial behavior

Nine branches of a large bank were investigated in a study designed to measure female subordinate reactions to male and female managers. Eighty percent of the female subordinates in the sample showed a preference for male managers. This result was not confounded by organizationally determined manager-subordinate relationships since subordinates were not assigned to a particular manager. Further analyses suggest that this preference for male managers was caused by situational variables rather than by sex differences. Although male and female managers did not differ with respect to age, education, career orientation, and organizational commitment, male managers had significantly more experience and reported having more influence than did the female managers.The author gratefully acknowledges the helpful comments of Charlie Summer, Tom Taber, and Nancy Napier, and the research assistance of Steve Green, Mike Novak, Kathie Verderber, and Bob Sinclair. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Academy of Management Meetings in New York, August 1982.     

Do Social Stressors Impact Everyone Equally? An Examination of the Moderating Impact of Core Self-evaluations

Purpose  The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between social stressors and the outcomes of job satisfaction, altruism, and turnover intentions. Additionally, this study examined the moderating impact of individuals’ core self-evaluations on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach   Data were obtained from a branch of the state government in the southeast. Responses were received from 144 employees. Supervisors provided responses as well, and the matched dyads where both supervisor and subordinate responses were received numbered 133. Findings  We found that social stressors were negatively related to job satisfaction and altruism and positively related to turnover intentions. Results also indicated that higher core self-evaluations buffered the negative influence of social stressors on job satisfaction and turnover intention, but not altruism. Implications  Our results reinforce the notion that social stressors exhibit significant negative associations with desired job consequences. Another managerial implication relates to managers when filling vacant positions. When completing this task, managers need to honestly and accurately assess the social stressors present in their organization. When social stressors are high, managers should seek to hire individuals who possess higher core self-evaluations. Originality/value  This study employed a different theoretical perspective, conservation of resources theory, and extended the nomological network related to social stressors. Additionally, this study showed the important moderating impact that core self-evaluations can have on other relationships, whereas the large majority of previous studies have examined core self-evaluations as a main effect predictor of important organizational outcomes. Received and Reviewed by former editor, George Neuman.     

Perceived trait-co-occurrences according to managerial role: A structural representation

Fifty-eight middle managers were presented with three check lists containing effective and ineffective managerial traits previously obtained as free responses from another sample of middle managers. Each manager in the present study was asked to describe a superior, a peer, and a subordinate. Multidimensional scaling solutions were then calculated from these check list data. Ratings, obtained on five properties, were used to interpret the solutions.The findings demonstrated that managers in a highly competitive organization having frequent, formalized evaluative procedures (1) ascribe highly negative attributes to those peers perceived as effective, (2) have relatively undifferentiated views of their ineffective peers and ineffective subordinates, but (3) not their superiors who are viewed critically whether effective or ineffective.     

Managers’ and Subordinates’ Evaluations of Feedback Strategies: The Critical Contribution of Voice1

This study investigated 87 managers’ and 91 subordinates’ evaluations of a range of strategies for delivering performance feedback in the workplace. The managers and subordinates rated 8 written vignettes describing different feedback strategies on a number of variables (perceived effectiveness, perceived risk, level of enactment demand, and congruence of strategy for managers). Feedback strategies that used an invitation for the subordinate to reply to the negative feedback were evaluated as more effective and managerially congruent, and less risky than were the other strategies. However, strategies requiring bidirectional communication (e.g., invitations to reply), as opposed to unidirectional communication (e.g., praise), were generally perceived as more demanding to enact.     

上下级工作场所精神性匹配与下级主动行为的关系

基于上下级匹配理论,本研究探讨了上下级工作场所精神性匹配与下级主动行为的关系。采用多项式回归与响应面分析技术,对收集的129对“领导者-员工”配对数据进行分析,结果表明：（1）在上下级工作场所精神性一致的情况下,上下级工作场所精神性一致程度与下级主动行为呈倒U型关系;（2）在上下级工作场所精神性不一致的情况下,当下级工作场所精神性高于上级时,下级会表现出更多的主动行为。     

Are observer ratings of applicants’ personality also faked? Yes,but less than self‐reports

Although self‐report personality tests are a comparatively cheap and easy‐to‐administer personnel selection tool, researchers have criticized them for not predicting enough criterion‐related variance. Researchers have suggested using observer‐ratings of personality (e.g., as part of a reference check from a supervisor) because observer‐ratings have been reported to be more predictive. However, it is theoretically and empirically unclear whether supervisors also engage in faking (the intentional distortion of responses). Study 1 explored faking among managers who were first asked to imagine that a subordinate had to leave his/her job for private reasons and then to rate the personality of the subordinate. A week later, managers rated their subordinates honestly. A repeated‐measures MANOVA indicated that managers did fake. Study 2 (among supervisors of working students) replicated the above findings but also showed that there is less faking in supervisor‐ratings than in self‐ratings. Furthermore, we found no evidence that the validity of personality scales for predicting academic performance depends on self‐ versus observer‐ratings or on an applicant versus an honest condition. These two studies thus show that practitioners should not equate personality ratings obtained from observers in a selection context with honest personality ratings.     

Anger and Gender Effects in Observed Supervisor-Subordinate Dyadic Interactions

This study investigates the effects of a supervisor's anger and supervisor's and subordinate's gender on evaluations made by observers of interacting supervisor-subordinate dyads. In a laboratory experiment, 370 undergraduates viewed one of eight video-tapes representing the conditions of the 2 (gender of supervisor) × 2 (gender of subordinate) × 2 (presence or absence of anger) design and then completed evaluations of the supervisor and the subordinate. A field study using 265 employees from three organizations replicated the laboratory results. In spite of constant dialogue in the interactions across all eight conditions, supervisors expressing anger were rated lower and female supervisors were rated higher by observers. Subordinates were rated higher when interacting with an angry supervisor and when interacting with a male supervisor. Main effects of supervisor's gender may reflect over-evaluation of unexpected, albeit average, performance. The joint supervisor and subordinate effects are interpreted as reflecting a dyadic rating effect in which high ratings assigned to one member of the dyad are accompanied by lower ratings assigned to the other member.     

The Effect of Vertical Exchange Relationships on the Performance Attributions and Subsequent Actions of Sales Managers

This study examines the type of relationship that exists between the sales manager and subordinate (vertical exchange status), and its impact on the sales manager's attributions about the subordinate performance, as well as subsequent responses to the subordinate. Results indicate that cadres may receive preferential consideration in explaining their performance, which then impacts the sales manager's response to the salesperson. The findings imply that sales managers should be careful in assigning attributions for performance by both cadre and hired hand salespersons.     

Effects of Self-Appraisal Information, Appraisal Purpose, and Feedback Target on Performance Appraisal Ratings

This experiment investigated the effects of three factors on performance appraisal ratings: self-appraisal information, appraisal purpose, and feedback target. Two hundred and three subjects rated a subordinate's performance on a clerical task subsequent to receiving either a high or low self-assessment. They were told they would provide performance feedback either to the experimenter (organizational agent) or their subordinate, and their ratings would be used either for an administrative decision or developmental feedback. Performance ratings were significantly higher when subjects received a favorable subordinate self-assessment than when self-assessments were unfavorable. A significant interaction was found between feedback target and the appraisal purpose. Implications for the use of self-appraisals in organizations were discussed.