A psychoanalytic attributional model for subordinate poor performance

Abstract

Managers and subordinates often have divergent perceptions as to the cause of a subordinate's poor performance. Normally, this is considered to be a significant problem in that it is correlated with a deterioration in productivity and in manager-subordinate relations. The position taken here is that under certain circumstances, convergence of perceptions can be even more damaging to the psychological well-being of the subordinate. These circumstances include the following: the manager's attributing the poor performance to the subordinate's lack of ability or lack of effort; the manager's being able to influence the subordinate to agree with this assessment; and the attribution being fundamentally inaccurate.