Effectiveness of impression management tactics across human resource situations

An experimental study was undertaken to explore the effectiveness of impres sion management tactics in various situations. To manipulate the variables of interest, 6 different scenarios were created by crossing 2 independent v ariables: impression management tactics (self-focused or other-focused) and situation (employment interview, performance appraisal, or training sessio n). Respondents, 178 human resource professionals, were mailed a survey tha t contained 2 of the 6 scenarios. In each scenario, respondents rated the p erson described in the scenario on performance, provided their affective im pressions, and determined the appropriateness of the impression management cues given the situation. Results indicated a significant interaction betwe en the use of impression management and the situation. These findings are c ompared to past research, and suggestions for future directions for the stu dy of impression management are outlined.