DO YOU WANT TO CONVINCE SOMEONE OF YOUR IDEA? LEARN ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTION ERROR.

The use of attribution errors is often unconscious and automatic. Their application can create communication barriers, so it is important to understand the mechanism of their operation. Moreover, after understanding its operation, the acquired knowledge can be used as tools to build greater openness towards our idea (innovation context) or towards the feedback we provide (teamwork context).

The fundamental attribution error affects communication efficiency. It is the tendency to attribute others’ behaviors to internal factors while underestimating the role of situational determinants of those behaviors. However, when it comes to self-assessment, the opposite happens. People see causes in what they focus their attention on (Wojciszke, 2011). Two errors that can be identified in relation to attribution theory are:

• attributional egotism – when thinking about their own actions, people attribute the causes of their successes to themselves, while in the event of failure, they explain the failure by circumstances rather than their own mistakes
• attributional egocentrism – involves exaggerating one’s contribution to activities that are performed in a group

Are you wondering how this relates to teamwork? Imagine that in company X, an employee poorly executed their tasks, causing the company to lose a significant contract. In a conversation with the boss, such a person will look for all possible situational reasons to explain their mistake. The boss, on the other hand, will try to show that it is the employee’s fault. The conversation will likely end with both parties dissatisfied. The supervisor will think that the employee does not want to take responsibility for their behavior, while the subordinate, not seeing their fault, will probably assume that the boss overreacted and there is no need to worry about the situation – after all, it was the circumstances’ fault. In the described example, one can observe how often we deal with attribution errors, which hinder our objective view of our behavior in situations where we have failed.

An excellent example of this is a study conducted by Lau and Russel in 1980. They noticed that American football coaches, as well as the players themselves, attribute their victories to internal factors, such as being in good shape, the natural talent of the team, or hard work. On the other hand, when the team loses, the failure is attributed to external factors, such as bad weather, injuries, or cheating by the opposing team. This happens because if success is attributed to one’s own merits and failure to circumstances, self-esteem does not suffer. Moreover, cognitive factors can influence attributional egotism. People generally assume that they will succeed in a given task. If this is the case and the goal is actually achieved, such a situation is likely to be attributed to abilities. However, if the anticipated success ends in failure, it is explained by bad luck and circumstances. This creates communication barriers because each side perceives the situation differently.

Wondering how to apply this knowledge in practice? Here are a few examples!

• Do you want to motivate your team? When the team wins (i.e., achieves the set goals), we also add a bit of splendor to ourselves. Having such knowledge, it is worth showing the team the results and benefits of their work from time to time (once a quarter?). Even a brief mention (this was the goal – these were the actions we took – these are the results) can make people experience positive emotions and feel like co-creators of this success. And in the long-term perspective, this builds a sense that engagement in projects makes sense. One of the factors that influence this is the previously mentioned attribution error.
• Do you want to sell your idea? During your presentation, positively refer to the actions or behavior of the person evaluating you! This way, you can attribute your idea to the actions of the person whose heart you want to reach :). By doing this, you can make them feel somewhat like a co-creator of your concept. An example of such a strategy is the following statement (e.g., mentioned during the presentation of the idea): ‘Mr. President, at the beginning of this year, you took a strategic initiative related to improving quality in our company. Inspired by your actions, I came up with an idea that I want to implement in line with your strategy. And now, moving on to the details…’.
• Are you providing feedback and wondering what to do to avoid a situation where responsibility is blurred?  Are you expecting to hear ‘it wasn’t my fault’ once again? In such a situation, remember the attribution error, which makes us explain outcomes by the actions of others or the environment. To avoid such blurring, when giving feedback, show the employee precisely their specific behavior in a situation where several people were involved, e.g., your interlocutor, manager, another team member. Show how his actions translated into (unfortunately poor…) results. In a situation where you show a person specific behavior and its consequences, you make it difficult for the egocentric attribution mechanism to engage.