An attributional analysis of social accounts: Implications of playing the blame game

These studies proposed that effective social accounts should contain extern al, unstable, specific, and uncontrollable attributions. In Study 1, manage rs provided accounts for a negative event. The accounts contained highly un stable and specific attributions but, contrary to original predictions, the y also contained highly internal and controllable attributions. In Study 2, managers rated the effectiveness of the account. Account effectiveness was positively related to unstable attributions, but was negatively related to external and uncontrollable attributions. These relationships were stronge r (more negative) for accounts communicated downward than upward. These res ults indicate that blaming others or deflecting personal responsibility for negative events may be ineffective, especially when one is in a high-statu s role.