The role, function, and contribution of attribution theory to leadership: A review

The purpose of this article is to review literature that has focused on the role of attributions in leadership processes and to explore and explain how the study of attributions does, and can, contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of leadership. The historical roots of attribution research...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Leadership quarterly 2007-12, Vol.18 (6), p.561-585
Main Authors: Martinko, Mark J., Harvey, Paul, Douglas, Scott C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attribution
Attribution Style
Behavior
Criticism
Leader-Member Relations
Leadership
Studies
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Summary:The purpose of this article is to review literature that has focused on the role of attributions in leadership processes and to explore and explain how the study of attributions does, and can, contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of leadership. The historical roots of attribution research are discussed, along with early attributional research in the leadership area. Two streams of attributional criticisms are addressed and recent attributional research relevant to leadership is reviewed. We argue and demonstrate that attributions account for significant proportions of the variance in leadership behaviors. We conclude with suggestions for including attributional perspectives in comprehensive models of leader behavior.
ISSN:1048-9843
1873-3409
DOI:10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.09.004