What overall impact can self-serving attributions have on team dynamics?

Self-serving attributions occur when individuals attribute their successes to their own skills or efforts, while blaming failures on external factors beyond their control. This cognitive bias can significantly undermine trust and accountability within a team.

When team members engage in self-serving attributions, it can create an environment where individuals do not take responsibility for their mistakes, leading to frustration among teammates. If one member consistently credits themselves for the team's successes while deflecting blame for failures, it can foster resentment and diminish the sense of shared responsibility. Trust can erode as team members may feel that their contributions are undervalued or that their efforts are not recognized equally. As a result, accountability suffers, and the team may struggle to maintain a cohesive and collaborative atmosphere.

In contrast, the other options suggest positive outcomes for team dynamics that are unlikely to occur in the presence of self-serving attributions. For example, collaboration, cohesion, and fair performance evaluations require a foundation of mutual trust and accountability, which self-serving attributions inherently disrupt.