Causal Attribution and Supervisors' Response to Subordinate Performance: The Green and Mitchell Model Revisited¹

Abstract

Green and Mitchell's (1979) model of supervisory responding utilized Kelley's (1972) attributional schema based on informational cues, and variables of ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck (Weiner et al., 1972). The present study provided a direct test of the model, focusing on the relationships between informational cues and attributions, and between attributions and evaluative variables in an organizational context. A matrix of relationships linking informational cues and attributional variables was predicted in the first instance, followed by a multivariate relationship between attributions and evaluational variables. To test the hypotheses, 288 subjects responded to 16 descriptions of subordinate performances, varying in consistency, distinctiveness, consensus, and outcome. The results supported the predicted relationships between informational cues and attributions, and between attributions and evaluation. Use of Weiner's (1985) extended model of attribution, which includes dimensions of controllability and intentionality, substantially improved the predictability of the model, especially for explaining failure outcomes.