„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

and advantageous attributions for failure will increase individuals’ persistence and
performance (Weiner, 1986).
When success is observed, managers should be alert to unstable attributions and
suggest stable ones. The following is an example:
Subordinate: “I was just lucky” (luck).
Manager: “No, you have good communication skills” (ability) or “No, you did
your research” (effort).
When failure is observed, managers should be alert to stable attributions and
suggest unstable ones. The following are examples:
Subordinate: “I can’t motivate my team” (lack of ability).
Manager: “Yes you can, but you will need to complete your training in order to
learn how” (effort, in this case, prerequisite learning).
Subordinate: “It is impossible to get this team to work cooperatively” (task
difficulty).
Manager: “No it isn’t, but you may need to try another approach” (strategy).
If a manager attributes a subordinate’s failure to lack of ability rather than to lack of
effort, lack of prerequisite knowledge, or use of an ineffective strategy, the manager
may not persist in helping the subordinate to succeed by providing encouragement
and/or additional training. A manager also may attribute failure to a stable “trait” (e.g.,
laziness), which will reduce the expectations of change and affect the way in which the
manager interacts with the subordinate. It is much better to think in terms of less stable
“states” (e.g., “He has not been working as hard this quarter”). Again, the less stable
attribution for failure leaves open the opportunity for change.
As has been suggested, managers may communicate their perceptions of the causes
of subordinates’ successes and failures and, therefore, communicate their perceptions of
subordinates’ relative abilities. These communications can have a tremendous effect on
subordinates’ perceptions of their own abilities. Because of this, managers should be
mindful of their own attributions as well as the attributions of their subordinates.
ATTRIBUTIONS AND EMOTIONS
Just as there is a powerful connection between attributions and expectations, there is a
powerful connection between attributions and emotions. How we think influences how
we feel and what we do. Our attributions and the perceived dimensions (locus, stability,
and controllability) of those attributions influence our emotions. Because the
relationships between some emotions and attributions are understood, emotions may
provide cues about our attributions (Weiner, 1986). Although there is a wide range of
emotional responses, for our purposes the emotions of pride, anger, pity, guilt, and
shame are most relevant.
298 ❘❚
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer