PROBLEM 6. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 1
The Effect of Physical Height on Workplace Success and
Income: Preliminary Test of a Theoretical Model
Timothy A. Judge Daniel M. Cable
Theoretical Model of Physical Height and Career Success
Height affects career success through several mediating
processes
Height self-esteem and social esteem
Social esteem and self-esteem objective and subjective
performance Career success
Height and Social Esteem
Social esteem (perceived esteem, ascribed status): positive or
negative evaluation by members of society
Evolutionary perspective: greater advantages for tall ppl =
height =power
i. Perceptual bias (visual perception): expectancy of positive
relationship between size and value/status (height and social
esteem)
ii. Social norms: “heuristic of dominance”, tall= higher in
esteem, more persuasion
Height and Self-esteem
Height is linked with social power and respect influences self-
view
o People with insecurities about their stature arrogance,
aggressiveness
o Self-esteem is influenced by social esteems self-
fulfilling prophecy
Evidence: Short-males higher in depression and
inferiority/height positively associated with external locus of
control and emotional reactivity
Social Esteem and Performance
, PROBLEM 6. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 2
Social esteem objective performance (esp. for social jobs)
o Self-fulfilling prophecy esteemed ppl more able to deliver
results that make them more esteemed (e.g. more admired,
trustworthy more sales
Social esteem more linked to subjective performance
32Indirect effect on subjective job evaluations
o Direct on job outcomes that influence appraisals (manager’s
self-fulfilling process confirming expectations)
Self-esteem and Performance
Higher self-esteem higher performance ratings because they
are viewed more favorably and are better liked
Self-esteem related to manager’s performance ratings
Performance and Career Success
Based on objective (what was accomplished) and subjective (how
it was accomplished) measurements/ratings reward
distribution (pay level, promotions)
Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1a: Height is positively related to ascendancy into
leadership
Hypothesis 1b: Height is positively related to earnings
Hypothesis 2: Height exhibits a simplex relationship with status,
performance, and then career success, such that height is most
strongly related to status and least strongly related to career
success.
Hypothesis 3: Height is more strongly related to subjective
outcomes than objective outcomes
Meta-analysis
Correlation of height with all measures (gender, type of
criterion, measure of criterion) .26 corrected.
Higher validity for men but non-significant correlations
Social esteem had the strongest correlation (followed by
leadership and performance)
o High variability in height-leadership correlations
(hypothesis 1a)
o Height more linked to social esteem (hypothesis 2)
Subjective ratings had higher validity than extrinsic
measures (hypothesis 3)
Limitation: confounds were not regarded in this meta-analysis
Estimating the effects of height on earnings
The Effect of Physical Height on Workplace Success and
Income: Preliminary Test of a Theoretical Model
Timothy A. Judge Daniel M. Cable
Theoretical Model of Physical Height and Career Success
Height affects career success through several mediating
processes
Height self-esteem and social esteem
Social esteem and self-esteem objective and subjective
performance Career success
Height and Social Esteem
Social esteem (perceived esteem, ascribed status): positive or
negative evaluation by members of society
Evolutionary perspective: greater advantages for tall ppl =
height =power
i. Perceptual bias (visual perception): expectancy of positive
relationship between size and value/status (height and social
esteem)
ii. Social norms: “heuristic of dominance”, tall= higher in
esteem, more persuasion
Height and Self-esteem
Height is linked with social power and respect influences self-
view
o People with insecurities about their stature arrogance,
aggressiveness
o Self-esteem is influenced by social esteems self-
fulfilling prophecy
Evidence: Short-males higher in depression and
inferiority/height positively associated with external locus of
control and emotional reactivity
Social Esteem and Performance
, PROBLEM 6. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 2
Social esteem objective performance (esp. for social jobs)
o Self-fulfilling prophecy esteemed ppl more able to deliver
results that make them more esteemed (e.g. more admired,
trustworthy more sales
Social esteem more linked to subjective performance
32Indirect effect on subjective job evaluations
o Direct on job outcomes that influence appraisals (manager’s
self-fulfilling process confirming expectations)
Self-esteem and Performance
Higher self-esteem higher performance ratings because they
are viewed more favorably and are better liked
Self-esteem related to manager’s performance ratings
Performance and Career Success
Based on objective (what was accomplished) and subjective (how
it was accomplished) measurements/ratings reward
distribution (pay level, promotions)
Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1a: Height is positively related to ascendancy into
leadership
Hypothesis 1b: Height is positively related to earnings
Hypothesis 2: Height exhibits a simplex relationship with status,
performance, and then career success, such that height is most
strongly related to status and least strongly related to career
success.
Hypothesis 3: Height is more strongly related to subjective
outcomes than objective outcomes
Meta-analysis
Correlation of height with all measures (gender, type of
criterion, measure of criterion) .26 corrected.
Higher validity for men but non-significant correlations
Social esteem had the strongest correlation (followed by
leadership and performance)
o High variability in height-leadership correlations
(hypothesis 1a)
o Height more linked to social esteem (hypothesis 2)
Subjective ratings had higher validity than extrinsic
measures (hypothesis 3)
Limitation: confounds were not regarded in this meta-analysis
Estimating the effects of height on earnings
