Running head: ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE ASSESSMENT Attributional Style Assessment Applied to Personnel Selection and Training
Student's Full Name
Keiser University
Dan Kuchinka, Ph.D.
PSY821 Personnel Psychology
Date 1 ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE ASSESSMENT 2 Attributional Style Assessment Applied to Personnel Selection and Training
Introduction
Attributional Style assessment and training is a viable solution to common challenges in
the workplace. This document briefly describes an actual workplace related problem, and a
potential solution using Attributional Style assessment and training. A scenario is provided based
on the author’s experience, followed by a goal and proposed action plan.
Scenario
It is common for organizations to go through periods of significant change. Change can
include major shifts in structure due to mergers and expansion. Change can also occur due to
shifting markets, government regulation, or leadership decisions. I have experienced change in
an organization caused by all the previously stated circumstances. Consequences of the dramatic
change included unusually high levels of stress, followed by a negative impact on performance.
Attributional Style assessment and training could have helped address the problem.
Goal
The goal of this document is to 1) demonstrate how the assessment of Attributional Style
could be used to identify workers who are at risk of experiencing chronic stress and a subsequent
negative impact on performance, and 2) demonstrate how creating a training program used to
teach people to have a more optimistic Attributional Style could help moderate stress and
positively impact performance.
Action Plan
Seligman and Schulman (1986) discovered a person with an optimistic Attributional Style
had better productivity, better employment records, and overall increased performance. These
positive outcomes occur because optimistic workers feel more responsible for good events and ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE ASSESSMENT 3 less responsible for negative events. They also understand negative events associated with
change are only temporary. Gladstone and Kaslow (1995), and Henry (2005) found attributional
style has a significant relationship to stress, with an optimistic attributional style acting as a
moderator of stress. These studies can help us understand how negative performance can be
minimized when workers are better able to manage stressful situations by having an optimistic
Attributional Style.
To capitalize on the positive outcomes of an optimistic workforce, Attributional Style
must first be assessed. The Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Peterson et al., 1982) is a
reliable and valid instrument that can serve this purpose. The ASQ has been administered
worldwide to diverse populations in a variety of work-related settings. Once workers have been
assessed, training can be provided to raise levels of Attributional Style and help workers become
more optimistic. Cartwright and Cooper (2008) support this approach by explaining how
addressing second-order change in a training environment can help address a change in mind-set.
Finally, Seligman (2006) points out Attributional Style is a relatively stable trait, but can be
learned and applied to one’s personal and professional life.
Summary
In summary, the previous sections have described how unusually high levels of change can have a negative impact on employees, including higher than usual levels of stress. It was also revealed having an optimistic Attributional Style can help moderate stress, which will subsequently minimize the negative impact on performance. Because Attributional Style can be learned, the assessment of and subsequent training on how to have a more optimistic Attributional Style would appear to be a valid solution to minimize the negative impact of change. ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE ASSESSMENT 4 References
Cartwright, S. & Cooper, G. (2008), The oxford handbook of personnel psychology. Oxford,
England: Oxford University Press.
Gladstone, T. R. G., & Kaslow, N. J. (1995). Depression and attributions in children and
adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23(5), 597606.
Henry, P. C. (2005). Life stresses, explanatory style, hopelessness, and occupational class.
International Journal of Stress Management, 12(3), 241-256. doi:10.1037/10725245.12.3.241
Peterson, C., Semmel, A., von Baeyer, C., Abramson, L.Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Seligman, M.E.P.
(1982). The attributional style questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 6(3), 287300.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. New
York, NY: Vintage Books.
Seligman, M. E., & Schulman, P. (1986). Explanatory style as a predictor of productivity and
quitting among life insurance sales agents. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
50(4), 832-838. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.50.4.832

Attachments:

• 1505831801-Organizational Psychology Scenario Paper.docx