Effect of Self-Presentation on Perceptions and Recognition in an Organization

We examined the role of gender in the efficacy of two acquisitive self-presentational tactics: modesty and disclosing obstacles. American undergraduate psychology students were asked to read a presentation given by a fictitious male or female project manager who had made a significant discovery and to evaluate one of two self-presentational tactics used by the managers. Results showed that the tactics used affected the credit given to the manager, the perceived difficulty of what he or she did, and the suggested recognition for the manager. Both recognition and perceived difficulty were affected by the sex of the managers and of the subjects.