Abstract
The current research investigates whether observers blame leaders for organizational accidents even when these managers are known to be causally uninvolved. Past research finds that the public blames managers for organizational harm if the managers are perceived to have personally played a causal role. The present research argues that East Asian perceivers, who are culturally oriented to focus on the causal influence of groups [Menon, T., Morris, M. W., Chiu, C., & Hong, Y. (1999). Culture and the construal of agency: Attribution to individual versus group dispositions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 701-717.], blame managers based on the behavior of the group, not only based on the behavior of the individual managers. We argue that perceivers first assign responsibility to the collectivity, the organizational unit or some group within it, and then extend responsibility to the manager representing it. We tested this proposal in a series of studies with a community sample in Japan and matched student samples of Japanese and Americans. Results show that perceivers who are culturally oriented to focus on collective-level causality (Japanese, more so than Americans; Asian Americans, more so than European Americans) blame leaders through proxy logic. Implications of this intuitive logic and of the cultural difference are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 36-51 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes |
| Volume | 101 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 Sep |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Accident
- Attribution
- Blame
- Culture
- Group
- Managers
- Organization
- Proxy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
- Strategy and Management
- Applied Psychology
- Psychology(all)
Cite this
Blaming leaders for organizational accidents : Proxy logic in collective- versus individual-agency cultures. / Zemba, Yuriko; Young, Maia J.; Morris, Michael W.
In: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 101, No. 1, 09.2006, p. 36-51.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Blaming leaders for organizational accidents
T2 - Proxy logic in collective- versus individual-agency cultures
AU - Zemba, Yuriko
AU - Young, Maia J.
AU - Morris, Michael W.
PY - 2006/9
Y1 - 2006/9
N2 - The current research investigates whether observers blame leaders for organizational accidents even when these managers are known to be causally uninvolved. Past research finds that the public blames managers for organizational harm if the managers are perceived to have personally played a causal role. The present research argues that East Asian perceivers, who are culturally oriented to focus on the causal influence of groups [Menon, T., Morris, M. W., Chiu, C., & Hong, Y. (1999). Culture and the construal of agency: Attribution to individual versus group dispositions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 701-717.], blame managers based on the behavior of the group, not only based on the behavior of the individual managers. We argue that perceivers first assign responsibility to the collectivity, the organizational unit or some group within it, and then extend responsibility to the manager representing it. We tested this proposal in a series of studies with a community sample in Japan and matched student samples of Japanese and Americans. Results show that perceivers who are culturally oriented to focus on collective-level causality (Japanese, more so than Americans; Asian Americans, more so than European Americans) blame leaders through proxy logic. Implications of this intuitive logic and of the cultural difference are discussed.
AB - The current research investigates whether observers blame leaders for organizational accidents even when these managers are known to be causally uninvolved. Past research finds that the public blames managers for organizational harm if the managers are perceived to have personally played a causal role. The present research argues that East Asian perceivers, who are culturally oriented to focus on the causal influence of groups [Menon, T., Morris, M. W., Chiu, C., & Hong, Y. (1999). Culture and the construal of agency: Attribution to individual versus group dispositions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 701-717.], blame managers based on the behavior of the group, not only based on the behavior of the individual managers. We argue that perceivers first assign responsibility to the collectivity, the organizational unit or some group within it, and then extend responsibility to the manager representing it. We tested this proposal in a series of studies with a community sample in Japan and matched student samples of Japanese and Americans. Results show that perceivers who are culturally oriented to focus on collective-level causality (Japanese, more so than Americans; Asian Americans, more so than European Americans) blame leaders through proxy logic. Implications of this intuitive logic and of the cultural difference are discussed.
KW - Accident
KW - Attribution
KW - Blame
KW - Culture
KW - Group
KW - Managers
KW - Organization
KW - Proxy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33748917789&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33748917789&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.04.007
DO - 10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.04.007
M3 - Article
VL - 101
SP - 36
EP - 51
JO - Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
JF - Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
SN - 0749-5978
IS - 1
ER -