Abstract
Effects of two factors which are assumed to influence on one's cognitive ratings of a leader's leadership-style, a type of the leader's actual behavior and the resulting outcome of the group, were examined by three experiments. Ss observed three kinds of video-taped group processes in each of which their members were engaging in a task under P, M, or PM-typed leader respectively, and were informed that the one of these group performed better than the other two (high-outcome). Ss were asked to rate each leader's behavior in terms of the PM theory. Results showed the rated leadership-style corresponded to her actual behavior but knowing the outcome had not any influences on Ss' responses (Experiment 1). In experiment 2, Ss observed any one of the three leadership-typed groups of which outcome was either high or low. Those who were alloted to the group with M-leader and high outcome tended to rate the M-behavior of the leader rather strongly and the P-behavior weakly than those who obsereved the group with M-leader and low outcome. In experiment 3, Ss actually engaged in a task under a kind of leadership-style. The more they attributed their group's low outcome to their leader, the higher they rated his P-behavior. The more they attributed their group's high outcome to their leader, the higher they rated both his P and M-behaviors. These results suggest that knowing the group outcomes may influence on perceivers' cognitive ratings of leader's leadership-style through attributings of the group outcomes to leader's behavior.
