Internal and External Attribution

Purpose: Our personality and biases can influence the way we interact with others. It has the potential to make situations better or worse depending on the people we are interacting with and the context of the situation. Having a strong understanding of our personality and others can help us manage situations more effectively.

Time frame: 20 minutes

Group Size: 3 – 4 students

Instructions: Read the following scenario and answer the corresponding questions.

Scenario:

• In a marketing agency, there’s a team responsible for developing a high-profile advertising campaign for a major client. The team is comprised of individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds however, lately there has been a noticeable increase in tension and conflicts within the team.
• Internal Attribution: One team member, Sarah, attributes the conflicts to internal factors. She thinks, “Some team members are just too arrogant and unwilling to listen. It’s their personalities causing all these problems.”
• External Attribution: Another team member, Alex, believes that external factors are contributing to the conflicts. He says, “The tight deadline and pressure from the client are creating stress. The conflicts are more about the situation we’re in rather than people’s personalities.”

Questions

1. How might Sarah’s perception of the conflicts impact her interactions with her teammates?
2. How might recognizing external pressures affect Alex’s approach to addressing conflicts within the team?
3. How can the team find a balance between internal and external attributions when addressing conflicts?
4. What steps could the team take to address both the internal dynamics and external pressures influencing their working environment?
5. Why is it important for team members to avoid making assumptions based solely on internal or external attributions?