TY - JOUR
T1 - The missing link? Implications of internal, external, and relational attribution combinations for leader–member exchange, relationship work, self-work, and conflict
AU - Gardner, William L.
AU - Karam, Elizabeth P.
AU - Tribble, Lori L.
AU - Cogliser, Claudia C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - Attributions are causal explanations made by individuals in response to important, novel, and/or unexpected events. Numerous attribution theories have examined how people use information to make attributions and how attributions impact an individual's subsequent emotions and outcomes. However, this research has only recently considered the implications of dyadic-level attributions (i.e., relational attributions), particularly in the context of leader–follower relationships in organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this theoretical paper is threefold. First, we integrate research on attributional biases into the research on relational attributions. Second, we integrate and extend attribution theory to consider the implications of convergent and divergent internal, external-person, external-situational, and relational attributions for leader–member exchange (LMX) quality, relationship work, self-work, and conflict. Third, we make the implicit ranking of attribution combinations and the resultant levels of relationship work explicit. In doing so, we contribute to attribution theory and research by proposing how attribution combinations produce positive and negative outcomes that are both intrapersonal and interpersonal. Further, we contribute to the LMX literature by explicating how leader–follower attribution combinations influence relationship quality.
AB - Attributions are causal explanations made by individuals in response to important, novel, and/or unexpected events. Numerous attribution theories have examined how people use information to make attributions and how attributions impact an individual's subsequent emotions and outcomes. However, this research has only recently considered the implications of dyadic-level attributions (i.e., relational attributions), particularly in the context of leader–follower relationships in organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this theoretical paper is threefold. First, we integrate research on attributional biases into the research on relational attributions. Second, we integrate and extend attribution theory to consider the implications of convergent and divergent internal, external-person, external-situational, and relational attributions for leader–member exchange (LMX) quality, relationship work, self-work, and conflict. Third, we make the implicit ranking of attribution combinations and the resultant levels of relationship work explicit. In doing so, we contribute to attribution theory and research by proposing how attribution combinations produce positive and negative outcomes that are both intrapersonal and interpersonal. Further, we contribute to the LMX literature by explicating how leader–follower attribution combinations influence relationship quality.
KW - attribution theory
KW - conflict
KW - leader–member exchange (LMX)
KW - relational attributions
KW - relationship work
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85060201401&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/job.2349
DO - 10.1002/job.2349
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85060201401
VL - 40
SP - 554
EP - 569
JO - Journal of Organizational Behavior
JF - Journal of Organizational Behavior
SN - 0894-3796
IS - 5
ER -