Which of the following statements is true regarding the managerial implications of attributional tendencies?

• A. Managers should avoid considering attributional biases when providing feedback to employees.
• B. Managers should always attribute employee mistakes to internal causes, as this leads to more accurate performance assessments.
• C. Managers should be aware that employees may attribute their successes to internal factors and failures to external factors, which can affect motivation and performance evaluations.
• D. Attributional tendencies have little impact on workplace relationships and can be ignored in managerial decision-making.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of attributional tendencies, which refers to how people explain the causes of events, particularly successes and failures, often attributing them to internal (personal) or external (situational) factors.
2. Recognize that in a managerial context, these attributional tendencies influence how employees perceive their own performance and how managers interpret employee behavior.
3. Analyze each statement by considering psychological research on attribution biases, such as the self-serving bias, where individuals attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors to protect self-esteem.
4. Evaluate why managers should be aware of these tendencies: understanding that employees may attribute successes internally and failures externally helps managers provide balanced feedback and maintain motivation.
5. Conclude that ignoring attributional biases or always attributing mistakes internally can lead to inaccurate assessments and negatively impact workplace relationships and performance management.