Beyond Internal and External: A Dyadic Theory of Relational Attributions

Authors

Marion B. Eberly, University of Washington - Tacoma Campus
Erica Holley, University of Washington - Seattle CampusFollow
Michael D. Johnson, University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Terence R. Mitchell, University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Department or Administrative Unit

Management

Document Type

Article

Author Copyright

Copyright of the Academy of Management, all rights reserved.

Publication Date

10-2011

Journal

Academy of Management Review

Abstract

Attribution theory argues that people assess the locus of causality of achievement relevant events as either internal or external. Given the frequency of interpersonal interactions in organizations, we posit that a third category—relational attributions— may be used. Drawing on relational perspectives, we lay the conceptual foundation and develop a dyadic theory of relational attributions, proposing their antecedents and linking them to relationship-focused behaviors, which influence the quality of interpersonal links within organizations.

Comments

This article was originally published in Academy of Management Review. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Recommended Citation

Eberly, M.B., Holley, E.C., Johnson, M.D. & Mitchell, T.R. (2011). Beyond internal and external: A dyadic theory of relational attributions. Academic Management Review 36(4), 731-753. DOI: 10.5465/amr.2009.0371