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This chapter presents a theoretical argument for investigating the cognitive processes that are involved in supervisor perceptions of subordinates. It is argued that supervisor perceptions involve a complex interplay of categorization processes and attributions that contribute to the quality of leader–member exchanges. These cognitive processes contribute to the stability of leader–member exchange quality over time, in part because cognitive load prevents perceivers from engaging in thorough attributional analyses. The literature on supervisor categorization and attributions is discussed, followed by an integration of the construct of cognitive load and a discussion of contextual factors that moderate the effects of cognitive load on attributions.

The University of AkronSurveys of both academics and practitioners indicate that leadership is the most important topic within the realm of organizational behaviour. This chapter elaborates on the implications of a perceptual viewpoint for explaining the indirect effects of leadership on performance and presents a comprehensive and explicit theory of leadership perceptions that is derived from recent work in the social-cognitive area. This provides a more precise view of leadership perceptions than work derived from everyday experience with leadership. The chapter argues that leadership perceptions depend on both recognition-based and inferential processes and that both of these processes can occur using automatic or controlled modes of processing. It then examines the differential application and implications of this viewpoint to lower and upper hierarchical levels, elaborating on the fundamental role of perceptual processing at each of these levels and how perceptions relate to performance.

This study investigated the effect of gender stereotypes on evaluator judgments of unethical behavior. Subjects were working adults who completed a mailed survey in which they evaluated unethical behavior depicted in written scenarios. Sex of the transgressor in the scenarios was manipulated. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that there are no stable differences in evaluations of men and women across scenarios. These results suggest that evaluators do not hold different standards of ethical behavior for men and women, they do not make different causal attributions for the behavior of men and women, nor do evaluators treat men and women differently when an ethical transgression has been committed.

This study investigated gender differences in transformational and transactional leadership, and gender-related stereotypes for these forms of leadership. Results indicated that there were no differences in the way the primarily Caucasian subordinates evaluated their actual male and female managers. There were, however, differences in ratings of stereotypic male versus stereotypic female leaders on transformational and transactional leadership, but only by female respondents. Finally, congruence between ratings of actual managers and ratings of stereotypic managers was found primarily for male respondents. Results suggest that stereotypes may be one explanation for gender differences found in prior research on transformational and transactional leadership.

In the 1988 American presidential election, leadership perceptions and perceived platforms were used to predict votes for one of the two final candidates (Governor Michael Dukakis and Vice President George Bush). Both leadership perceptions and perceived platforms were found to be related to voting. However, political involvement moderated the relationship between the perceived platforms and the votes, while leadership perceptions were found to be a consistent predictor of voting across levels of political involvement. Leadership perceptions, perceived platforms, and the interaction between involvement and perceived platforms predicted voting above and beyond the voters’ political affiliations. Consistent with a categorization model of leadership perceptions, the prototypicality of perceived leader traits was found to be strongly related to a tendency to vote for a candidate who was perceived to possess those traits. In comparing general favorability of characteristics versus prototypicality with respect to an effective political leadership category, general favorability played a larger role in uninvolved voters’ decisions than in involved voters’ decisions. Differences in mean leadership prototype ratings were also explored as a function of political affiliation and political involvement. The implications of these findings for campaign strategies and for leadership in organizational contexts are discussed.

This article presents a review of the book “Leadership and Information Processing: Linking Perceptions and Performance,” by Robert G. Lord and Karen G. Maher.

A general taxonomic system of alternative information-processing models (rational, limited capacity, expert, and cybernetic) found in the management and psychological literatures is developed. These models are evaluated on four criteria: theoretical utility, descriptive accuracy, prescriptive value, and potential to suggest interventions consistent with typical information processing. No model is superior according to all criteria, yet each model provides a different explanation of information processing in typical work situations. Each model provides a different explanation of processing in several theoretical domains (attribution theory, decision making, performance appraisal), and each model has different methodological implications. Thus, researchers or practitioners should carefully evaluate the applicability of each model for their particular purpose.