Attribution Dimensions, Self-Serving Biases, and Actor-Observer Differences in Work Performance Attributions

摘要

The quarterly cost of enlisting 40,000 people for the active forces of the U.S. Army in 1981 was estimated by the Army Audit Agency to be $145 million, with an average cost $3,600 per recruit. Direct personnel costs for field recruiters in the period studied were $20.8 million, with additional indirect costs (e.g., training) of $11.7 million. Based on these Army Audit Agency figures for FY81, an efficiency increase in production recruiters sufficient for a 1% decrease in the number of recruiters would have saved $1.3 million in FY81. Responsibility for the management of the day-to-day productivity and efficiency of field recruiters lies with recruiters themselves and with their immediate supervisors--station commands. For both recruiters and station commanders, the maintenance of a high state of efficiency and productivity is important in meeting recruiting goals. Because of the potential for attributional analysis to aid in the understanding and improvement of recruiting, the performance attributions of 173 Army field recruiters and 53 station commanders were studied. The purpose of the research reported here was to investigate--for the first time in a field setting--applications of attribution theory to job performance in superior-subordinate situations. This research can further the development of attribution theory while having application to the management of the recruiting force.