Attributional Complexity: A Link Between Training, Job Complexity, Decision Latitude, Leader–Member Exchange, and Performance

Abstract

AND Lois E. 'ETRICK~Previous research demonstrated that individuals differ in the relative sophistication of their schemas for organizing and interpreting social stimuli (i.e., attributional complexity, or AC) and that AC has been linked to performance in social situations. In the present study, 420 employed students completed surveys for an investigation of the relationship between individual, work role, and job characteristics; AC; and job performance. Educational level and major predicted AC, but leader-member exchange (LMX), decision latitude (DL), and socialhask complexity of the job did not. Contrary to expectations, social and task complexity did not interact with DL and LMX to predict AC. AC, DL, LMX, and educational level predicted job performance. Further, AC interacted with social complexity of the job to predict performance. The results suggest that AC may be both content and process based, and predictive of performance in certain jobs.

Leader-member exchange and member performance: A new look at individual-level negative feedback-seeking behavior and team-level empowerment climate.

“…Whereas Hypothesis 1 suggests that LMX is positively related to negative feedbackseeking behavior, Hypothesis 2 posits that such behavior as the determinant of in-role performance. Integrating both hypotheses with earlier findings about the positive effect of LMX on work performance (Chen, 1996;Gerstner & Day, 1997;Townsend et al, 2002;Wayne et al, 2002), we would expect negative feedbackseeking behavior to take on a mediating role between the two through which it facilitates the exchange process between supervisors and subordinates. Specifically, a high-quality LMX encourages subordinates to seek negative feedback from supervisors more frequently to obtain information on inadequate work behavior and performance.…”

The Importance of Attributional Complexity for Transformational Leadership Studies

“…The relative sophistication of one's cognitive schemata used to interpret external stimuli is referred to as cognitive complexity (Fletcher et al., 1986; Townsend et al., 2002). An individual who is more cognitively complex uses a greater number of dimensions for analysis, weighs more complex alternatives, and engages in more sophisticated causal reasoning when interpreting external stimuli.…”

“…While some studies consider cognitive complexity to be a general trait that extends across all situations, others recognize that it has domain‐specific aspects (Alba and Hasher, 1983; Fletcher et al., 1986). One domain‐specific aspect of cognitive complexity is complexity in social judgment – referred to as attributional complexity (AC) (Fletcher et al., 1986; Townsend et al., 2002). People who score higher on AC display greater cognitive facility in assigning causes for others' behaviour by discriminating between potential causes and integrating them.…”

“…AC is a broad construct that consists of multiple components that concern the degree to which individuals: are intrinsically motivated to understand and explain social behaviour; prefer explanations that are more complex; think about underlying issues and processes related to causal attribution; recognize that people's behaviour is a function of their interactions with others; understand causally complex internal attributions; understand causally complex external attributions; and consider external causes operating from the past (Fletcher et al., 1986). While these various aspects were initially considered as potentially distinct factors of a more global AC construct (Fletcher et al., 1986), virtually all empirical studies have considered AC as a single composite measure (e.g., Fletcher et al., 1986; Schaller et al., 1995; Townsend et al., 2002). Several studies support the validity of the AC construct.…”

“…For example, if attributional complexity is found to be linked to the dimensions of transformational leadership, then it may be worthwhile to consider attributional complexity as one selection criterion for leadership roles. In addition, one important component of transformational leadership development may be training methods that enhance the attributional complexity of potential leaders, since scholars have suggested that individuals can develop attributional complexity through education and training that is focused on social judgment and perception (Fletcher et al., 1986; Townsend et al., 2002).…”