Self-Reports in Organizational Research: Problems and Prospects
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify six categories of self-reports and discuss such problems as common method variance, the consistency motif, and social desirability, as well as statistical and post hoc remedies and some procedural methods for dealing with artifactual bias.
About: This article is published in Journal of Management.The article was published on 1986-01-01. It has received 14482 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Common-method variance.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: The extent to which method biases influence behavioral research results is examined, potential sources of method biases are identified, the cognitive processes through which method bias influence responses to measures are discussed, the many different procedural and statistical techniques that can be used to control method biases is evaluated, and recommendations for how to select appropriate procedural and Statistical remedies are provided.
Abstract: Interest in the problem of method biases has a long history in the behavioral sciences. Despite this, a comprehensive summary of the potential sources of method biases and how to control for them does not exist. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which method biases influence behavioral research results, identify potential sources of method biases, discuss the cognitive processes through which method biases influence responses to measures, evaluate the many different procedural and statistical techniques that can be used to control method biases, and provide recommendations for how to select appropriate procedural and statistical remedies for different types of research settings.
52,531 citations
Cites background from "Self-Reports in Organizational Rese..."
...…consistency in their responses to similar questions or to organize information in consistent ways is called the consistency motif (Johns, 1994; Podsakoff & Organ, 1986; Schmitt, 1994) or the consistency effect (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1977) and is likely to be particularly problematic in those…...
[...]
TL;DR: The meaning of the terms "method" and "method bias" are explored and whether method biases influence all measures equally are examined, and the evidence of the effects that method biases have on individual measures and on the covariation between different constructs is reviewed.
Abstract: Despite the concern that has been expressed about potential method biases, and the pervasiveness of research settings with the potential to produce them, there is disagreement about whether they really are a problem for researchers in the behavioral sciences. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to explore the current state of knowledge about method biases. First, we explore the meaning of the terms “method” and “method bias” and then we examine whether method biases influence all measures equally. Next, we review the evidence of the effects that method biases have on individual measures and on the covariation between different constructs. Following this, we evaluate the procedural and statistical remedies that have been used to control method biases and provide recommendations for minimizing method bias.
8,719 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors addressed the nature and functioning of relationships of interpersonal trust among managers and professionals in organizations, the factors influencing trust's development, and the implications of trust for behavior and performance.
Abstract: This study addressed the nature and functioning of relationships of interpersonal trust among managers and professionals in organizations, the factors influencing trust's development, and the implications of trust for behavior and performance Theoretical foundations were drawn from the sociological literature on trust and the social-psychological literature on trust in close relationships An initial test of the proposed theoretical framework was conducted in a field setting with 194 managers and professionals
6,473 citations
TL;DR: A model is presented that allows partial correlation analysis to adjust the observed correlations for CMV contamination and determine if conclusions about the statistical and practical significance of a predictor have been influenced by the presence of CMV.
Abstract: Cross-sectional studies of attitude-behavior relationships are vulnerable to the inflation of correlations by common method variance (CMV). Here, a model is presented that allows partial correlation analysis to adjust the observed correlations for CMV contamination and determine if conclusions about the statistical and practical significance of a predictor have been influenced by the presence of CMV. This method also suggests procedures for designing questionnaires to increase the precision of this adjustment.
6,144 citations
Cites methods from "Self-Reports in Organizational Rese..."
...It also is superior to the heuristic arguments about the magnitude of MV effects summarized by Podsakoff and Organ (1986), which are susceptible to being used to assume away MV effects....
[...]
...It also is superior to the heuristic arguments about the magnitude of MV effects summarized by Podsakoff and Organ (1986), which are susceptible to being used to assume away MV effects. Finally, it is far superior to overlooking MV effects altogether, which seems to be a very common way of addressing this problem. MV-marker-variable analysis can be used in conjunction with the results of Crampton and Wagner's (1994) work....
[...]
TL;DR: The rapid growth of research on organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) has resulted in some conceptual confusion about the nature of the construct, and made it difficult for all but the most avid readers to keep up with developments in this domain this paper.
5,183 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: This transmutability of the validation matrix argues for the comparisons within the heteromethod block as the most generally relevant validation data, and illustrates the potential interchangeability of trait and method components.
Abstract: Content Memory (Learning Ability) As Comprehension 82 Vocabulary Cs .30 ( ) .23 .31 ( ) .31 .31 .35 ( ) .29 .48 .35 .38 ( ) .30 .40 .47 .58 .48 ( ) As judged against these latter values, comprehension (.48) and vocabulary (.47), but not memory (.31), show some specific validity. This transmutability of the validation matrix argues for the comparisons within the heteromethod block as the most generally relevant validation data, and illustrates the potential interchangeability of trait and method components. Some of the correlations in Chi's (1937) prodigious study of halo effect in ratings are appropriate to a multitrait-multimethod matrix in which each rater might be regarded as representing a different method. While the published report does not make these available in detail because it employs averaged values, it is apparent from a comparison of his Tables IV and VIII that the ratings generally failed to meet the requirement that ratings of the same trait by different raters should correlate higher than ratings of different traits by the same rater. Validity is shown to the extent that of the correlations in the heteromethod block, those in the validity diagonal are higher than the average heteromethod-heterotrait values. A conspicuously unsuccessful multitrait-multimethod matrix is provided by Campbell (1953, 1956) for rating of the leadership behavior of officers by themselves and by their subordinates. Only one of 11 variables (Recognition Behavior) met the requirement of providing a validity diagonal value higher than any of the heterotrait-heteromethod values, that validity being .29. For none of the variables were the validities higher than heterotrait-monomethod values. A study of attitudes toward authority and nonauthority figures by Burwen and Campbell (1957) contains a complex multitrait-multimethod matrix, one symmetrical excerpt from which is shown in Table 6. Method variance was strong for most of the procedures in this study. Where validity was found, it was primarily at the level of validity diagonal values higher than heterotrait-heteromethod values. As illustrated in Table 6, attitude toward father showed this kind of validity, as did attitude toward peers to a lesser degree. Attitude toward boss showed no validity. There was no evidence of a generalized attitude toward authority which would include father and boss, although such values as the VALIDATION BY THE MULTITRAIT-MULTIMETHOD MATRIX
15,795 citations
TL;DR: A study of 422 employees and their supervisors from 58 departments of two banks found that citizenship behavior includes at least two separate dimensions Altruism, or helping specific persons, and Generalized Compliance, a more impersonal form of conscientious citizenship.
Abstract: It is argued here that a category of performance called citizenship behavior is important in organizations and not easily explained by the same incentives that induce entry, conformity to contractual role prescriptions, or high production A study of 422 employees and their supervisors from 58 departments of two banks sought to elaborate on the nature and predictors of citizenship behavior Results suggest that citizenship behavior includes at least two separate dimensions Altruism, or helping specific persons, and Generalized Compliance, a more impersonal form of conscientious citizenship Job satisfaction, as a measure of chronic mood state, showed a direct predictive path to Altruism but not Generalized Compliance Rural background had direct effects on both dimensions of citizenship behavior The predictive power of other variables (e g , leader supportiveness as assessed independently by co-workers, personality measures) varied across the two dimensions of citizenship behavior
3,135 citations
Book•
03 Apr 1980
TL;DR: This paper explored the social-desirability response set, a type of habitual response preference identifiable in personality testing, and found that it supported the theory that people describe themselves in favorable terms to obtain the approval of others.
Abstract: The authors explore the social-desirability response set--a type of habitual response preference identifiable in personality testing. The intuitive plausibility of this test response distortion led the authors to undertake research to determine if it supported the theory that people describe themselves in favorable terms to obtain the approval of others.
1,832 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a taxonomy of covariance structure models for multiretrait-multimethod data is presented, which can be used to test the significance of the convergent and the discriminant validity shown by a set of measures as well as the ex tent of method variance.
Abstract: A taxonomy of covariance structure models for rep resenting multitrait-multimethod data is presented Us ing this taxonomy, it is possible to formulate alternate series of hierarchically ordered, or nested, models for such data By specifying hierarchically nested models, significance tests of differences between competing models are available Within the proposed framework, specific model comparisons may be formulated to test the significance of the convergent and the discriminant validity shown by a set of measures as well as the ex tent of method variance Application of the proposed framework to three multitrait-multimethod matrices al lowed resolution of contradictory conclusions drawn in previously published work, demonstrating the utility of the present approach
1,015 citations
972 citations