Abstract
This study addresses the effects of gender upon the attributions of responsibility for success and failure by chief executives in an organizational setting. Prior laboratory studies verify that some sex-related differences exist, although their importance and causes have been subject to controversy. In general, gender seems to make a difference in two respects. Men tend to make stronger attributions to their own ability than women and men are less likely than women to attribute their own performance to luck. In short, women are more likely to derogate their own efforts than are men. In this study no major gender-related differences were found in the patterns of attribution of the causes given for success or failure. These results indicate that if a general model of gender-related attributional differences is to be developed, additional studies from natural settings are needed.
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This research has been supported by grants from the Beistle Memorial Fund of the L. P. Cookingham Institute of Public Affairs and from the Weldon Spring Endowment Fund of the University of Missouri. We very much appreciate the cooperation and effort of all those who have made this project possible, including the chief executives who participated, our interviewers and raters, and especially graduate research assistants, William Grotts and Anne Rudigier.
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Heimovics, R.D., Herman, R.D. Gender and the attributions of chief executive responsibility for successful or unsuccessful organizational outcomes. Sex Roles 18, 623–635 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287965
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287965