Search

This study was conducted to investigate the manner in which attributions and costs of corrective actions affect leaders' implementation of control policy. It was predicted that leaders would be less likely to adhere to organizational control policy when rule infractions were due to external factors and when the rule violator was a high performer. In addition, the effects of leaders' orientation toward winning on corrective actions were investigated. Eighty college coaches were divided into two groups on the basis of personal characteristic of orientation toward winning (high vs. low). Each coach responded to a scenario that described a curfew violation committed by either a star or a substitute player. The infraction was caused by either internal or external factors. Analyses indicated that leaders were more willing to circumvent the organization's control policy when the rule infraction was caused by external factors and that this tendency was more pronounced with low-orientation toward winning (OTW) leaders. The results extend from Green and Mitchell (1979) attributional model of leadership and confirm the importance of personal characteristics in control decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]