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The effect of situational factors on supervisor perceptions of potentially ingratiating behaviors: An application of Kelley's Covariation Model
Abstract
Previous ingratiation research has been conducted mainly in laboratory settings using unacquainted students as subjects. As such, it has limited applicability to ingratiation found in ongoing relationships such as the supervisor/subordinate relationship. This study attempted to better represent organizational life, and to address the dearth of theory found in previous ingratiation research. Kelley's (1967) Covariation Model was used as the theoretical basis for this study. Subjects with supervisory and/or performance appraisal experience took the role of a supervisor with five employees and were asked to make several personnel decisions about these employees. Subjects based their decisions on the behavioral logs they received for each employee, which summarized each employee's behavior from the previous year. These logs contained the manipulations for the consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus (CDC) information that Kelley claims individuals use to make causal attributions about another's behavior. Results indicated that potential ingratiators received lower overall evaluations, promotability ratings, rankings, and pay raises when labeled an ingratiator than when labeled a noningratiator. Consensus was the only situational factor which significantly influenced the causal attributions made by subjects. In comparing potential ingratiators to the other employees, the causal attribution also had an effect on outcomes. When labeled a noningratiator the potential ingratiator received significantly greater outcomes, on all dependent variables, than the others. When labeled an ingratiator the potential ingratiator received the lowest outcomes. In this situation, however, only on pay raises did he receive significantly lower outcomes than another employee. Summary analyses indicated that the CDC information did have direct and indirect effects on the outcome decisions of subjects. It was concluded that the causal attributions made by targets do greatly affect the efficacy of potential ingratiation. Additionally, it appears that other factors besides situational factors influence the attributions that individuals make. Personality traits and causal schemata were suggested as possible factors.
Subject Area
Management|Social psychology
Recommended Citation
Eastman, Kenneth Karl, "The effect of situational factors on supervisor perceptions of potentially ingratiating behaviors: An application of Kelley's Covariation Model" (1990). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9030114.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9030114