Cited by 266Job Satisfaction and Organizational BehaviorEmployee Performance and MotivationManagement Theory and Practice

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 1 of the 1 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Attribution theory in the organizational sciences: A case of unrealized potential

Martinko, Mark J., Harvey, Paul, Dasborough, Marie T.·2011·Journal of Organizational Behavior

DOI 10.1002/job.690

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

We argue that although attributional processes appear to affect virtually all goal and reward oriented behavior in organizations, they have not received adequate attention in the organizational sciences. In this Incubator, we encourage scholars to unlock the potential of attribution theory to develop more complete explanations of organizational behavior. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/job.690

Cites

0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

The processes of causal attribution.
Kelley, H. H. (1973) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/h0034225 · Cited by 4,025

Show all 0 references

Research works printed but not linked: 10

10.1006/obhd.1994.1049 · DOI
10.1016/0030-5073(79)90008-4 · DOI
10.1037/10628-000 · DOI · Paper page
Lord R. G., 1983, Theoretical, informational, information processing, and situational factors affecting attributional theories of organizational behavior, Academy of Management Review, 8, 50, 10.2307/257167 · DOI
Martinko M. J., 2002, Thinking like a winner: A guide to high performance leadership
10.1002/9780470696378.ch4 · DOI
10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.09.004 · DOI
10.1177/014920638200800104 · DOI
10.1007/978-1-4612-4948-1 · DOI
10.1002/job.593 · DOI

Sorted by citations

Items 101–200 of 229

Do women perceive incivility from men as selective? Examining main effects, coping responses, and boundary conditions
Lopez‐Alvarez, G., Cardador, M. T., & Restubog, S. L. D. (2024) · Human Resource Management · doi:10.1002/hrm.22213 · Cited by 11
Stigma by Association: The Unintended Interpersonal Consequences of Associating Oneself with an Abusive Supervisor
Yan, L., & Yam, K.-C. (2023) · Organization science (Providence, R.I.) · doi:10.1287/orsc.2023.1678 · Cited by 10
Helping coworkers only when I have more? Integrating social comparison, attribution and conservation of resources theories
Chou, S. Y., Barron, K., & Ramser, C. (2021) · Management Research Review · doi:10.1108/mrr-08-2020-0514 · Cited by 13
Rebuilding a global brand under crisis – case of a global brand Maggi
Srivastava, R. (2019) · International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing · doi:10.1108/ijphm-02-2018-0008 · Cited by 10
Engaging in unpaid jobs out of free will: an attribution theory perspective on the effects of supervisor support attributions on volunteers' service quality
Abrokwah, E., Rachayeeta, P., Affum‐Osei, E., Yeboah, G., Agyare, C., & Boadi, E. A. (2023) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103386 · Cited by 10
Feeling Good by Doing Good: Employee CSR-Induced Attributions, Job Satisfaction, and the Role of Charismatic Leadership
Vlachos, P. A., Panagopoulos, N., & Rapp, A. (2013) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1590-1 · Cited by 9
“Second, the extant literature is silent on the role of attributional inferences into how employees assess and respond to CSR initiatives (Martinko et al. 2011).”
BackgroundInfluential
Attribution Framing and Citizens’ Perceptions of Bureaucracies, Bureaucrats and Public Servants
McCrea, A. M., Bello-Gómez, R. A., & Kwon, S. (2025) · Public Performance & Management Review · doi:10.1080/15309576.2025.2499817 · Cited by 10
“Meanwhile, responsibility attribution is rooted in attribution theory which develops from the premise that individuals naturally wish to identify causes of salient outcomes, and that these attributed explanations affect people’s behaviors and attitudes (Heider, 1958; Martinko et al., 2011).”
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP, LOCUS OF CONTROL AND EMPLOYEES' READINESS TO CHANGE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCAP
Rosari, R., & Mujib, M. (2023) · International Journal of Business and Society · doi:10.33736/ijbs.5618.2023 · Cited by 18
“Individuals with an internal locus of control believe they can determine their destiny and are expected to make internal attributions of their successes and failures (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Background
Principals' systems thinking attribute: exploring a principal–middle leader relational demography perspective
Benoliel, P., Shaked, H., Nadav, N., & Schechter, C. (2020) · Journal of Educational Administration · doi:10.1108/jea-01-2020-0022 · Cited by 9
“an individual’s explanation regarding the reasons for people’s behavior (Kelley, 1972), play an important role in followers’ perceptions and reactions to a leader’s activity (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Background
The use of performance information in local government mergers
Kenk, K., & Haldma, T. (2019) · Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management · doi:10.1108/jpbafm-03-2019-0056 · Cited by 9
A Proposed Theory Life Cycle Model: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Cady, S. H., Wheeler, J. V., Schlechter, A. F., & Goodman, S. (2019) · The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science · doi:10.1177/0021886319873050 · Cited by 11
Attributions of service quality: immigrant customers’ perspective
Sichtmann, C., & Micevski, M. (2018) · Journal of Services Marketing · doi:10.1108/jsm-06-2017-0212 · Cited by 9
Exploring Online Customer Experience Formation: How do Customers Explain Negative Emotions during Online Shopping Encounters?
Kemppainen, T., Makkonen, M., & Frank, L. (2019) · Bled eConference · doi:10.18690/978-961-286-280-0.35 · Cited by 9
Avoidance and Aggression in Stakeholder Engagement: The Impact of CEO Paranoia and Paranoia-Relevant Cues
Ridge, J. W., Hill, A., Ingram, A., Kolomeitsev, S., & Worrell, D. L. (2024) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2021.1432 · Cited by 9
The role of the strategic apex in shaping the disclosure strategy: A family firm in crisis
Sandgren, M., Uman, T., & Nordqvist, M. (2023) · The British Accounting Review · doi:10.1016/j.bar.2023.101302 · Cited by 8
Do corporate social responsibility practices have an impact on employer attractiveness – an approach to corporate volunteering programs
Seara, M., Proença, T., & Ferreira, M. R. (2023) · European Journal of Management and Business Economics · doi:10.1108/ejmbe-02-2022-0041 · Cited by 8
Tit for tat or good for evil? Linking customer incivility, hostility, guilt, and employee behaviors
Chen, C., Zhang, M., & Zhang, Y.-H. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1053145 · Cited by 8
“It is known that differences in attribution will lead to different judgments on the same event (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Background
Psychological contract breach and voluntary turnover among newcomers: the role of supervisor trustworthiness and negative affectivity
Lapointe, É., & Vandenberghe, C. (2021) · Journal of Management & Organization · doi:10.1017/jmo.2020.43 · Cited by 8
“Indeed, individuals naturally make attributions regarding the causes of what they experience, and these attributions are known to have a substantial influence over their attitudes and behaviors (Martinko, Harvey, & Dasborough, 2011).”
Influential
Micro-Franchising in the Bottom of the Pyramid Market: Rwanda
Naatu, F., Alon, I., & Uwamahoro, R. (2020) · Journal of Social Entrepreneurship · doi:10.1080/19420676.2020.1755347 · Cited by 8
Understanding Internal, External and Relational Attributions in Reaction to Corporate Social Responsibility
Ahmad, I. (2017) · doi:10.22547/ber/9.4.3 · Cited by 8
Breach and willingness to support the organization: An attribution and social exchange perspective
Tsachouridi, I., & Nikandrou, I. (2016) · Management Research Review · doi:10.1108/mrr-06-2015-0148 · Cited by 8
Crises in global supply chains: The role of impression management communications
Woldt, J., & Prasad, S. (2022) · International Journal of Production Economics · doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108562 · Cited by 10
Understanding the role that Quality of Work Life of food and beverage employees plays in perceived service delivery and productivity
Viljoen, A., Kruger, S., & Saayman, M. (2019) · Southern African Business Review · doi:10.25159/1998-8125/5644 · Cited by 7
Sourcing team success : team studies in a purchasing and supply management context
Driedonks, B. B. (2011) · doi:10.6100/ir715282 · Cited by 7
When Vulnerable Narcissists Take the Lead: The Role of Internal Attribution of Failure and Shame for Abusive Supervision
Braun, S. H., Schyns, B., Zheng, Y., & Lord, R. G. (2024) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-024-05805-w · Cited by 13
“Attribution theory originating in the works of Heider (1958), Kelley (1973), and Weiner (1985) has been fruit-fully applied to the work context (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Within‐ and between‐person effects of causal attributions on relationship improvement following perceived incivility
Carson, J. E., Mackey, J. D., Alexander, K. N., McAllister, C. P., & Phillipich, M. A. (2024) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12537 · Cited by 7
Breached But Not Broken: How Attributional Information Shapes Shareholder Reactions to Firms Following Data Breaches
Wang, X.-R., Yan, J., Munyon, T., & Crook, T. R. (2024) · Corporate Reputation Review · doi:10.1057/s41299-024-00179-1 · Cited by 6
“Attributions involve observers’ assessments of causes behind events, especially in the case of unexpected occurrences, resulting in their reacting accordingly (Martinko 1995; Martinko et al. 2011; Weiner 2019).”
Under the humble mask: Investigating when and how leader-expressed humility leads to employee voice
Zou, W.-Q., & Chen, S. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.950059 · Cited by 8
“According to attribution theory (Kelley, 1973), an employee’s attribution of the intention underlying a leader’s specific behavior affects the employee’s subsequent response (Dasborough and Ashkanasy, 2002; Martinko et al., 2011; Chernyak-Hai and Tziner, 2021).”
Background
To Apologize or Justify: Leader Responses to Task and Relational Mistakes
Hetrick, A. L., Blocker, L. D., Fairchild, J., & Hunter, S. T. (2020) · Basic and Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/01973533.2020.1828083 · Cited by 8
On Observers’ Conjunctive Attributions and Blame for Workplace Mistreatment
Wilkerson, J., & Meyer, J. C. (2019) · Organization Management Journal · doi:10.1080/15416518.2019.1604201 · Cited by 6
When You Say It: How the Timing of LGBTQ+ Allyship Displays Shapes Evaluations of Organizations
White, M. W., & Carter, J. T. (2026) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104464 · Cited by 5
Individual, Group Dynamics, and Organizational Processes in the Workplace: Factors for Better Performance and Organizational Success
Hakiki, M. S., Anggraini, D. A., Fahmi, N. F., Putra, R. S., & Adinugroho, M. (2023) · Journal on Education · doi:10.31004/joe.v6i1.3409 · Cited by 7
Emotions and Environments: Schadenfreude at Work
Edgar, F. (2021) · Humanistic Management Journal · doi:10.1007/s41463-021-00109-x · Cited by 5
Critical realism and attribution theory in qualitative research
Al‐Sharif, R. (2020) · Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management An International Journal · doi:10.1108/qrom-04-2020-1919 · Cited by 18
This is why I have decided to stop helping you: A theoretical model of help‐giving discontinuity in organizations
Chou, S., Ramser, C., & Chang, T. (2020) · Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences-revue Canadienne Des Sciences De L Administration · doi:10.1002/cjas.1551 · Cited by 5
The grapes are sour: An envier's attributional perspective of coworker impression management
Azeem, S., Zafar, M. A., & Khan, A. (2020) · Journal of Management & Organization · doi:10.1017/jmo.2020.2 · Cited by 5
Real Estate Management in Malaysian Public Schools: Determination of Success Factors
Abdullah, S., Nah, M. N. M., & Razak, A. A. (2015) · doi:10.1515/remav-2015-0015 · Cited by 5
“2, 2015 (MARTINKO et al. 2011).”
Background
Minority service providers serving majority group customers: The relations between power attribution, empathy and emotional labor
Seger-Guttmann, T., & Amit, K. (2024) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103905 · Cited by 5
Gender Equality in Performance Assessment to Nurture the ASEAN Entrepreneurial Spirit—An Exploratory Study in Vietnam
Smith, P., Nagy, H., Bilsland, C., & Dinh, N. (2017) · Managing the Asian century · doi:10.1007/978-981-10-2281-4_8 · Cited by 5
How to De-CyFa the actor-observer bias in cybersecurity fatigue: Building the CyFa measure of attribution styles and mitigation strategies
Reeves, A., Calic, D., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2024) · Computers & security · doi:10.1016/j.cose.2024.104179 · Cited by 4
Arrogance from favor: the better supervisor-subordinate guanxi, the more counterproductive work behaviors
Liu, X.-Y., Yang, T., & Wan, W.-H. (2024) · Leadership & Organization Development Journal · doi:10.1108/lodj-07-2023-0403 · Cited by 4
Hot and cold: How do consumers hate and forgive offending charity brands?
Ren, C., Moisieiev, D., Rodrigo, P., & Johnson, E. (2024) · Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing · doi:10.1002/nvsm.1875 · Cited by 6
The boss can’t tell: Investigating how and when supervisor ingratiation spills over to observers
Azeem, S., Irshad, M., & Khan, A. K. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06024-2 · Cited by 5
Different IT Projects, but the same Conflicts. Action Research During IT Deployment
Saba, P. B., Meissonier, R., & Harfouche, A. (2024) · Information Systems Frontiers · doi:10.1007/s10796-023-10467-6 · Cited by 3
“Adverse past experiences with IT are associated with failure-related attributions, reduced success expectations, negative moods, and rejection actions (Martinko et al., 2010).”
Under the mask: The double-edged sword effect of leader self-sacrifice on employee work outcomes
Jiao, Y.-X., & Wang, Y.-C. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1052623 · Cited by 4
Examining the Aftermath of Work-Family Conflict Episodes: Internal Attributions, Self-Conscious Emotions, Family Engagement, and Well-Being
Chen, Z., Promislo, M. D., Powell, G. N., & Allen, T. D. (2022) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941221144609 · Cited by 6
“As with any event, when people experience work-family con ﬂ ict they attempt to reach conclusions about why it happened (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Influential
Avoiding the burst pipeline post-COVID-19: drivers of female academic careers in Australia
Sharafizad, F., Brown, K., Jogulu, U., & Omari, M. (2022) · Person-centered review · doi:10.1108/pr-12-2021-0909 · Cited by 4
The Relationship Between Nutritional Status and Cognitive Functions of Shift Health Workers
Kulak, A. Y., & Yeşil, E. (2022) · Journal of Turkish Sleep Medicine · doi:10.4274/jtsm.galenos.2022.48278 · Cited by 5
An attributional account of power in multi-party negotiations
Trif, S., Curșeu, P. L., Fodor, O. C., & Fleştea, A. M. (2020) · International Journal of Conflict Management · doi:10.1108/ijcma-10-2019-0189 · Cited by 6
Celebrities and Slackers: A Grounded Theory of the Dynamics of Social Loafing on Student Teams.
Boren, A. E., & Morales, S. (2018) · Journal of Leadership Education · doi:10.12806/v17/i2/r3 · Cited by 4
When Rule-Breaking Spreads: The Social Contagion of Prosocial Deviance in the Workplace
Mitsuhashi, T., Mitsuhashi, H., & Urao, M. (2025) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2025.2552933 · Cited by 3
Tinjauan Tentang Teori Atribusi: Senjata dalam Menghadapi Perilaku Ketidaksopanan di Tempat Kerja (Workplace Incivility) pada Industri Keramah-tamahan (Hospitality)
Gustiawan, D., & Azzahra, R. S. (2025) · Jurnal Bisnis Mahasiswa · doi:10.60036/jbm.v5i1.500 · Cited by 3
“Perspektif dari teori atribusi sangatlah penting bagi Manajemen Sumber Daya Manusia dan Perilaku Organisasi sebagaimana penelitian Martinko et al., (2011) yang mengemukakan peran teori atribusi dalam ilmu organisasi.”
Cultural friction during intercultural service encounters with Chinese tourists: perspectives from hotel employees in Australia
Liang, W.-H. (2024) · Cogent Social Sciences · doi:10.1080/23311886.2024.2318868 · Cited by 3
“It serves as a lens through which people make sense of both positive and negative experiences in the context of service encounters, seeking to understand the causes of these experiences, so that they can avoid the negatives in the future, and replicate the positives (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Leader instigated task conflict and its effects on employee job crafting; the mediating role of employee attributions
Zakariya, R., & Naqvi, S. M. M. R. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0278329 · Cited by 3
“Future researchers can identify constructs that can act as conditional factors in this association with the help of attribution theory [40] and attribution related research.”
Background
The effects of subordinates’ performance on manager–subordinate conflict conflict under the moderation effect of propensity to trust: an attribution approach
Konuk, H., Ataman, G., & Yozgat, U. (2022) · International Journal of Conflict Management · doi:10.1108/ijcma-09-2021-0137 · Cited by 3
A multi-level investigation of emergent leadership and dispersion effects in virtual teams
Charlier, S. D. (2012) · doi:10.17077/etd.w1ksiqn1 · Cited by 3
You’ve got mail – whether you want it or not: An emic investigation into how email use can be managed
Lanctot, A., & Duxbury, L. (2025) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100618 · Cited by 2
Causes of group package tour member hassles (GPT-MHs): Scale development and validation
Cheng, T.-M., Lien, W.-H., & Chang, Y.-L. (2024) · Tourism Management Perspectives · doi:10.1016/j.tmp.2024.101272 · Cited by 2
Green HR Practices & Green Recovery Performance: The Mediating role of P-O Fit & Affective Commitment in Fast Food Industry of Pakistan
Zhao, S. (2023) · Energy Technologies and Environment · doi:10.58567/ete01010001 · Cited by 3
“In accordance with the attribution theory, employees evaluate an organizational intentions and motivations via their perceptions of organizational practices and policies (Martinko, Harvey & Dasborough, 2011).”
The good side of authoritarian leaders: leader in the eyes of the subordinates
Asad, H., Butt, A., & Malik, A. R. (2022) · Journal of Management & Organization · doi:10.1017/jmo.2022.28 · Cited by 2
“These attributions then play a critical role in determining their reactions to their leader ’ s actions (Dienesch & Liden, 1986; Martinko & Gardner, 1987; Martinko, Harvey, & Dasborough, 2011).”
The Role of the Fundamental Attribution Error in the Context of Human Resource Management
Paul, C. (2021) · Journal of Psychology Research · doi:10.17265/2159-5542/2021.01.002 · Cited by 2
Adaptive thinking: Can adaptive dispositional attributions protect against the harmful effects of maladaptive situational attributions?
Murray, R. M., Coffee, P., & Eklund, R. (2020) · Psychology of Sport And Exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101620 · Cited by 2
Leaders—watch out for LMX differentiation: A multilevel model of leader-related antecedences and consequences of LMX differentiation
Eichenseer, V., Spurk, D., & Kauffeld, S. (2020) · German Journal of Human Resource Management Zeitschrift für Personalforschung · doi:10.1177/2397002220907389 · Cited by 2
“This reasoning is also supported by findings from sports teams that team members collectively attribute poor performance to their leaders (Martinko et al., 2011) as a means of protecting their self-worth in the case of failure (Mitchell et al.”
Result
A longitudinal investigation of the glass-ceiling in nursing
Woolnough, H. M., Fielden, S., Crozier, S., & Hunt, C. M. (2019) · Journal of Managerial Psychology · doi:10.1108/jmp-02-2018-0093 · Cited by 2
From IRIOP to the JOB Annual Review: The past and future of a venerable outlet
Harvey, P., & Dasborough, M. (2017) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.2179 · Cited by 2
Self-citation
I Think They Think We are Good Citizens: The Role of Meta-Perceptions in Employees' Reactions to Corporate Social ResponsibilityPreprint
Panagopoulos, N., Rapp, A., & Vlachos, P. A. (2015) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.1858084 · Cited by 2
Out of my control : the effects of perceived genetic etiology
Cheung, B. Y. (2016) · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · doi:10.14288/1.0228787 · Cited by 1
Stressful workplace relationships
Pierotti, A. J. (2014) · doi:10.17077/etd.d1vc5vmo · Cited by 1
“others (Martinko et al., 2011), as well as the intentions underlying that behavior (Dasborough & Ashkanasy, 2002).”
Background
Justifying Deviant Behavior: The Role of Attributions and Moral Emotions
Harvey, P., Martinko, M. J., & Borkowski, N. M. (2016) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3046-5 · Cited by 108
Self-citation
From leadership to followership: can the leader-turned-follower stay committed to achieving organizational goals?
Tanko, S., & Kwarteng, A. (2026) · Leadership & Organization Development Journal · doi:10.1108/lodj-10-2025-0899 · Cited by 1
Tell me Why: The Attributional Styles at Work Questionnaire and its Relationship with Affectivity, Personality, and Motivation
Navarro, J., Rueff-Lopes, R., Ezzeddine, R., & Villaseñor, F. (2026) · The Spanish Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1017/sjp.2026.10030 · Cited by 1
Revisiting Task and Relationship Conflict: An Attributional Perspective on Their Associations and Attitudinal Outcomes
Konuk, H. (2026) · Group Decision and Negotiation · doi:10.1007/s10726-026-09999-4 · Cited by 1
“Accordingly, this study draws on attribution theory as an interpretive lens to explain why task and relationship conflict may become intertwined (Eberly et al. 2011 ; Heider 1958; Martinko et al. 2011; Weiner 1985).”
Beyond “tit-for-tat”: understanding employees’ divergent reactions to customer mistreatment
Fan, L.-L., Ma, J.-F., Fan, Y.-C., & Yang, Y. (2026) · International Journal of Conflict Management · doi:10.1108/ijcma-12-2025-0428 · Cited by 1
Many Roads to Failure: An Exploratory Vignette Study of Destructive Leadership
Cho, Y., & Harms, P. D. (2026) · British Journal of Management · doi:10.1111/1467-8551.70055 · Cited by 1
From Project Managers to Intrapreneurs: The Role of External and Intra-organizational Social Capital in Promoting Intrapreneurial Activities among Project Managers
Klein, G., Ben-Hador, B., & Sainati, T. (2026) · International Journal of Project Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2026.102845 · Cited by 1
The mixed blessing of servant leadership: Investigating the moderating role of followers’ attributed motives in emotional and behavioral reactions to servant leadership
Liang, S.-G., & Wei, S.-C. (2026) · European Management Journal · doi:10.1016/j.emj.2026.02.002 · Cited by 2
Brands in crisis: customer loyalty and corporate reputation
Blankson, C., Boakye, K., Prybutok, V., Mahmoud, M. A., & Opare, G. (2025) · Marketing Intelligence & Planning · doi:10.1108/mip-07-2024-0508 · Cited by 1
Self‐serving attribution in leader humor: Investigating when and why leader humor relates to employee unethical pro‐organizational behavior
Zhang, Y., & Cui, G.-D. (2025) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1111/apps.70050 · Cited by 1
How and when supervisors reward subordinates' voice: the role of supervisors' trust
Wang, Q., Zhang, H., Liu, X.-C., Wang, M.-H., Gao, D.-D., & Ye, M. (2025) · Leadership & Organization Development Journal · doi:10.1108/lodj-09-2024-0577 · Cited by 1
Role of Ethical Leadership in Creating Meaningful Work Through Corporate Social Responsibility in Bhutan: A Conditional Mediation Model
Choden, D., Nejati, M., Shafaei, A., Farr‐Wharton, B., & Roldán, J. L. (2025) · Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management · doi:10.1002/csr.70137 · Cited by 1
Hear, See, Do (Nothing)? An Integrative Framework of Co-Workers’ Reactions to Interpersonal Workplace Mistreatment
Bastiaensen, C. V. M., Baillien, E., & Brebels, L. (2025) · Behavioral Science · doi:10.3390/bs15060764 · Cited by 1
“…the mistreatment to internal factors (e.g., the perpetrator’s malicious intent), they may recognize a moral imperative to intervene; however, this recognition is still tempered by considerations of retaliation, organizational norms, and potential career consequences (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Mind Your Own Business: Developing and Validating the Workplace Nosiness Scale
Currie, R. A., & Ehrhart, M. G. (2025) · Journal of business and psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-025-10018-7 · Cited by 1
“For instance, we encourage future research employing attribution theory (Martinko et al., 2011) to test the role of ascribed motives in explaining the effect of nosiness on work-related outcomes.”
Exploring the Associations of Facets of Locus of Control and Moral Potency with Job Satisfaction and Counterproductive Work Behaviors
Baluku, M., Kawooya, K., Bwambale, J. M., & Otto, K. (2024) · International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology · doi:10.1007/s41042-024-00188-9 · Cited by 1
“At the general level, attributions are stable and reliable predictors of behavior (Martinko et al., 2008, 2011).”
Unscrambling the preference puzzle: an in-depth exploration of why Indian international students shy away from home institutions for Master’s programs
Chanda, R., & Pawar, S. (2024) · Asian Education and Development Studies · doi:10.1108/aeds-05-2024-0105 · Cited by 1
The Effect of Hexagon Fraud and Love of Money Components on Determinants of Fraud With Religiosity as A Moderation Variable
Musli, N. A., Abdullah, M. W., & Juardi, M. S. S. (2024) · Jurnal Akuntansi Bisnis dan Ekonomi · doi:10.33197/jabe.vol10.iss2.2024.2185 · Cited by 1
“It investigates how people interpret events and how they assign reasons or causes for their behavior (Martinko et al., 2011).”
Should I admit my wrongdoings? Examining stealing thunder in the context of performance evaluations
Guchait, P., Guzzo, R., Wang, X., & Abbott, J. (2023) · International Journal of Hospitality Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103582 · Cited by 1
Ripple Effects of Abusive Supervision
Khan, S., & Thayil, A. (2022) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941221109114 · Cited by 1
The Antecedents and Consequences of CSR Attribution
Hosny, S., & Abdelaziz, G. (2022) · The Academic Journal of Contemporary Commercial Research · doi:10.21608/ajccr.2022.245005 · Cited by 1
“Attribution theory is concerned with how individuals explain the reasons for their successes and failures (e.g. Heider, 1958; Weiner, 1985) and that such attribution affects their responses to their outcomes (Martinko et al. , 2011).”
Background
The Attributional–Counterfactual Theory of Need: Integrating Theories to Predict Need Norm Use
Liu, J. T., & Mendez, M. J. (2021) · Business Ethics Quarterly · doi:10.1017/beq.2021.1 · Cited by 1
‘I Have a Newborn at Home’: Multi-actor Attributions and the Implementation of Shared Parental Leave
Chaudhry, S., McWha‐Hermann, I., Flemig, S., & Blackley-Wiertelak, A. (2020) · Work Employment and Society · doi:10.1177/0950017020962006 · Cited by 3
“Existing literature highlights that attribution processes are triggered by unusual, surprising and significant rather than routine events (Martinko et al., 2011) so that organizational actors can ‘make sense of their surroundings.”
Background
Correlations Between Computer-Related Causal Attributions and User Persistence
Niels, A., Jent, S., Janneck, M., & Zagel, C. (2018) · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-94229-2_23 · Cited by 1
Blame or Justification: A Conceptual Model of How Attributions Shape Observers’ Deviant Responses to Abusive Supervision
Ağaoğlu, M., & Erdil, O. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16071191
Effects on the (CSR) Reputation: CSR Reporting Discussed in the Light of Signalling and Stakeholder Perception Theories
Hetze, K. (2016) · Corporate Reputation Review · doi:10.1057/s41299-016-0002-3
Pseudo-transformational Leadership is in the Eyes of the Subordinates
Lin, C.-S., Huang, P.-C., Chen, S.-J., & Huang, L.-C. (2015) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2739-5
Going Against the Grain Works: An Attributional Perspective of Perceived Ethical Leadership
Li, C., Wu, K., Johnson, D., & Avey, J. B. (2015) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2698-x
Feeling, Expressing, and Managing Emotions in Work-Family Conflict
Speights, S. L., Bochantin, J. E., & Cowan, R. L. (2019) · Journal of Business and Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-019-09626-x · Cited by 27
Cut You Some Slack? An Investigation of the Perceptions of a Depleted Employee’s Unethicality
Zhang, Y.-J., Yam, K.-C., Kouchaki, M., & Zhang, J.-W. (2017) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-017-3690-4
A Difficult Burden to Bear: The Managerial Process of Dissonance Resolution in the Face of Mandated Harm-Doing
Andiappan, M., & Dufour, L. (2015) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2697-y
Controlled recovery or procrastination? how leaders interpret employee micro-breaks and form cognition-based trust in employees
Ma, Y., Zhang, W., Lin, W., Wang, Z., & Zhang, C. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-10231-4
“As formal evaluators of employees’ work performance, task responsibility, and dependability, leaders often rely on employees’ observable behavior to judge whether they are able to manage work demands effectively (Green & Mitch - ell, 1979; Martinko et al., 2007, 2011).”
Influential
How and when does humble leadership affect employee helping behavior: a perspective of cognitive–affective personality system theory
Zhou, C.-X., Liu, X.-M., & Xiong, W.-H. (2026) · Person-centered review · doi:10.1108/pr-10-2025-1158

Authors: Martinko, M. J., Harvey, P., & Dasborough, M. T.
Affiliations: Florida State University (US)
University of New Hampshire (US)
University of Miami (US)
Corresponding author: Martinko, Mark J.
ORCID: Harvey, Paul
Dasborough, Marie T.
Venue: Journal of Organizational Behavior
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2010-08-25
Volume: 32
Issue: 1
Pages: 144-149
ISSN: 0894-3796 (ISSN-L)
1099-1379
DOI: 10.1002/job.690
OpenAlex: W2160427618
Cited by: 266
References: 0
Citations by year: 2026: 21 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 5
FWCI: 11.28
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 1833 d)
Locations: Journal of Organizational Behavior (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Employee Performance and Motivation
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management Theory and Practice
Keywords: attribution theory, attributional processes, organizational behavior, goal-directed behavior

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Attribution theory in the organizational sciences: A case of unrealized potential

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Metadata

Record

About these checks