Information requests in the context of escalation
Article Abstract:
Staw's (1981) theory of escalation, that decision makers who are responsible for a failure will be more retrospectively oriented than whose who are not responsible for a failure, was tested by monitoring the information requests of subjects performing the Adams and Smith decision case (Staw, 1976). A total of 72 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students completed a computer-administered version of the case, in which they were permitted to request information files that had been preclassified as retrospective or prospective on the basis of the result of data collected from a different sample of MBA students. We found that 75% of the subjects who were responsible for a previous failure requested retrospective information, compared to about 25% of the subjects who were not responsible for a failure. This significant difference (i.e., p is less than .05) supported Staw's theory. We also found that the information manipulation eliminated the tendency of subjects who were responsible for failure to escalate allocations. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Psychology
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-9010
Year: 1987
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Escalation bias in performance appraisals: an unintended consequence of supervisor participation in hiring decisions
Article Abstract:
The tendency of supervisors to escalate their commitment to a previously expressed opinion by biasing performance ratings was examined in the context of a 'real' organization. The hypotheses of the study were (a) that supervisors who participate in a hiring or promotion decision and agree with the eventual decision would positively bias subsequent performance appraisal ratings for that employee, and (b) that supervisors who participate in the original decision but disagree with the decision would bias subsequent appraisal ratings in a negative direction. Cases in which the supervisor had not participated in the hiring or promotion decision were used as a control condition. The study was conducted in a large public-sector organization with a sample of 354 clerical employees. Data provide strong support for both hypotheses, demonstrating both positive and negative escalation biases. The implications of these findings for research on escalation and for organizational policy are discussed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Psychology
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-9010
Year: 1988
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Continuing investment under conditions of failure: a laboratory study of the limits of escalation
Article Abstract:
Prior research on investment suggests that a period of intense commitment disappears quickly after involvement. Now, a more detailed study, conducted as a laboratory experiment involving 100 business students, indicates that, in investment areas, the period of escalation is followed by an active period of de-escalation. Escalation may be limited by the availability of alternative investment forms, but commitment may not be the dominating factor in cycles of escalation or de-escalation.
Publication Name: Journal of Applied Psychology
Subject: Social sciences
ISSN: 0021-9010
Year: 1986
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