Why's My Boss Always Holding Me Down? A Meta-Analysis of Power Effects on Performance Evaluations

Results indicate that as power levels increase, evaluations of others become increasingly negative and evaluations of the self become increasingly positive in the relation between power and performance evaluation.

Abstract

One factor with potential links to performance evaluation is evaluator power. In a meta-analytic review of the available literature, the relation between power and performance evaluation was examined. Results indicate that as power levels increase, evaluations of others become increasingly negative and evaluations of the self become increasingly positive. We examined moderators of these relations, and methodological variables caused the most differences in effect sizes across studies. The article addresses implications of these findings for businesses and social psychological theories of power.