3.3 Attributions: Interpreting the Causes of Behavior

Attribution theory explains how we interpret behavior causes in organizations. It distinguishes between internal and external attributions, influencing how we perceive employee actions. Understanding these patterns helps managers avoid biases and make fairer judgments about workplace performance.

Kelley's covariation model provides a framework for making attributions based on consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness. This approach helps leaders analyze behavior more objectively, considering multiple factors before drawing conclusions about employee actions and motivations.

Attribution Theory

Attribution of organizational events

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• Attribution theory examines how people interpret and explain the causes of behavior
  • Internal (dispositional) attributions assign causes to an individual's characteristics, traits, or motivations
    • An employee is late due to poor time management skills or lack of motivation (oversleeping, procrastination)
  • External (situational) attributions assign causes to factors outside the individual's control, such as the environment or circumstances
    • An employee is late due to a traffic jam or public transportation delays (road closures, train breakdowns)
• Fundamental attribution error: The tendency to overemphasize internal factors and underestimate external factors when explaining others' behavior
  • Assuming a coworker's poor performance is due to lack of effort, while ignoring external factors like inadequate training or resources (outdated software, lack of mentorship)
• Self-serving bias: The tendency to attribute one's successes to internal factors and one's failures to external factors
  • Taking credit for a successful project outcome (personal skills, hard work) while blaming external factors for a project failure (budget cuts, uncooperative team members)
• Locus of control: An individual's belief about the extent to which they can control events affecting them, influencing their attributions

Kelley's attribution theory factors

• Kelley's covariation model suggests that people make attributions based on three types of information:
  • Consensus: The extent to which others behave similarly in the same situation
    1. High consensus: Many people behave similarly, suggesting an external attribution (most employees arrive late during a snowstorm)
    2. Low consensus: Few people behave similarly, suggesting an internal attribution (only one employee consistently arrives late)
  • Consistency: The extent to which an individual behaves the same way across different situations and times
    1. High consistency: The behavior is repeated frequently, suggesting an internal attribution (an employee is late every Monday morning)
    2. Low consistency: The behavior is not repeated frequently, suggesting an external attribution (an employee is rarely late)
  • Distinctiveness: The extent to which an individual behaves differently in different situations
    1. High distinctiveness: The behavior only occurs in specific situations, suggesting an external attribution (an employee is only late when relying on public transportation)
    2. Low distinctiveness: The behavior occurs across many situations, suggesting an internal attribution (an employee is late regardless of transportation mode or weather conditions)
• Combining information from these three factors helps determine whether an internal or external attribution is more appropriate

Attribution biases in workplace behavior

• Actor-observer bias: The tendency for actors to attribute their own behavior to external factors, while observers attribute the same behavior to the actor's internal factors
  • An employee attributes their own tardiness to traffic (external), while their coworkers attribute it to the employee's poor time management (internal)
• False consensus effect: Overestimating the extent to which others share one's own beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors
  • A manager assumes that all employees share their views on a new policy (flexible work hours), leading to misunderstandings and conflict
• Fundamental attribution error (as described earlier)
• Halo effect: The tendency to form an overall positive impression of someone based on a single positive characteristic or event, influencing subsequent judgments
  • A manager assumes an employee who excels in sales is equally competent in marketing and product development, leading to unrealistic expectations
• Horn effect: The tendency to form an overall negative impression of someone based on a single negative characteristic or event, influencing subsequent judgments
  • A manager assumes an employee who makes one mistake in a presentation is incompetent in all areas of their job (data analysis, report writing), leading to unfair treatment and lack of opportunities
• Self-serving bias (as described earlier)

Additional Attribution Principles

• Causal attribution: The process of inferring the causes of events or behaviors
• Correspondent inference theory: Explains how people infer others' traits from their behavior
• Augmentation principle: The tendency to give more weight to internal factors when external constraints are present
• Discounting principle: The tendency to give less weight to one potential cause when other plausible causes are present