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Equivocal Information And Attribution: An Investigation Of Patterns Of Managerial Sensemaking

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  • J. A. WAGNER III
  • R. Z. GOODING

Abstract

Organizational research has revealed ample evidence of self‐serving attributional patterns in managerial sensemaking, but has not yet resolved whether actor–observer attributional effects also influence managers’ sensemaking tendencies. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether such actor–observer effects can be detected in managers’ interpretation of equivocal information. Results indicate that managers receiving equivocal information about the performance of an organization described as their own credited positive outcomes to organizational strengths and blamed negative outcomes on environmental threats. In contrast, managers receiving equivocal information about an organization described as managed by others associated positive outcomes with environmental opportunities and linked negative outcomes to organizational weaknesses. Both self‐serving and actor–observer attributional patterns were thus detected. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Suggested Citation

  • J. A. Wagner Iii & R. Z. Gooding, 1997. "Equivocal Information And Attribution: An Investigation Of Patterns Of Managerial Sensemaking," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 275-286, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:18:y:1997:i:4:p:275-286
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199704)18:43.0.CO;2-V
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    1. Dean A. Shepherd & Holger Patzelt & Trenton A. Williams & Dennis Warnecke, 2014. "How Does Project Termination Impact Project Team Members? Rapid Termination, ‘Creeping Death’, and Learning from Failure," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 513-546, June.
    2. René Fahr & Anica Rose, 2017. "Causal Reasoning in Corporate Annual Reports: The Truth and Nothing But the Truth?," Working Papers Dissertations 25, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    3. Patzelt, Holger & Gartzia, Leire & Wolfe, Marcus T. & Shepherd, Dean A., 2021. "Managing negative emotions from entrepreneurial project failure: When and how does supportive leadership help employees?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(5).
    4. Shepherd, Dean A., 2009. "Grief recovery from the loss of a family business: A multi- and meso-level theory," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 81-97, January.
    5. Hui, Kent N. & Hult, G. Tomas M. & Ketchen, David J., 2020. "Causal attribution for peer performance and international joint venture divestment," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    6. William H. Starbuck, 2009. "Perspective ---Cognitive Reactions to Rare Events: Perceptions, Uncertainty, and Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(5), pages 925-937, October.
    7. Stratos Ramoglou & William B. Gartner, 2023. "A Historical Intervention in the “Opportunity Wars†: Forgotten Scholarship, the Discovery/Creation Disruption, and Moving Forward by Looking Backward," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1521-1538, July.
    8. Aerts, Walter, 2005. "Picking up the pieces: impression management in the retrospective attributional framing of accounting outcomes," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 493-517, August.
    9. AERTS, Walter & TARCA, Ann, 2008. "The effect of institutional setting on attributional content in management commentary reports," Working Papers 2008010, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    10. Mandy M Cheng & Habib Mahama, 2011. "The impact of capital proposal guidelines and perceived preparer biases on reviewers’ investment evaluation decisions," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 36(3), pages 349-370, December.
    11. Yasuhiro Yamakawa & Mike W. Peng & David L. Deeds, 2015. "Rising from the Ashes: Cognitive Determinants of Venture Growth after Entrepreneurial Failure," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(2), pages 209-236, March.
    12. W. Aerts, 2001. "Inertia in the attributional content of annual accounting narratives," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 3-32.
    13. Cardon, Melissa S. & Stevens, Christopher E. & Potter, D. Ryland, 2011. "Misfortunes or mistakes?: Cultural sensemaking of entrepreneurial failure," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 79-92, January.
    14. Pal, John & Medway, Dominic & Byrom, John, 2011. "Deconstructing the notion of blame in corporate failure," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(10), pages 1043-1051, October.
    15. Hong, Paul & Doll, William J. & Revilla, Elena & Nahm, Abraham Y., 2011. "Knowledge sharing and strategic fit in integrated product development proejcts: An empirical study," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(2), pages 186-196, August.
    16. Ulrich Lichtenthaler & Holger Ernst & Martin Hoegl, 2010. "Not-Sold-Here: How Attitudes Influence External Knowledge Exploitation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(5), pages 1054-1071, October.

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