Michael J. Zickar

Personality Trait Inferences About Organizations: Development of a Measure and Assessment of Construct Validity

The authors conducted 4 studies to construct a multidimensional measure of perceptions of organization personality. Results of the first 2 studies suggest that (a) 5 broad factors are sufficient to capture the structure of organization personality perceptions, (b) real-world organizations differ on personality profiles, and (c) personality trait inferences are related to organizational attraction. Results of a 3rd study suggest that personality trait inferences assessed in 1 sample are related lo ratings of organizational attractiveness by a 2nd sample. Finally, results of a 4th study suggest that the measure is sensitive to experimental manipulations of organizational descriptions. Implications and suggestions for the use of this measure in future research are discussed.

Some Common Myths About Centering Predictor Variables in Moderated Multiple Regression and Polynomial Regression

Additive transformations are often offered as a remedy for the common problem of collinearity in moderated regression and polynomial regression analysis. As the authors demonstrate in this article, mean-centering reduces nonessential collinearity but not essential collinearity. Therefore, in most cases, mean-centering of predictors does not accomplish its intended goal. In this article, the authors discuss and explain, through derivation of equations and empirical examples, that mean-centering changes lower order regression coefficients but not the highest order coefficients, does not change the fit of regression models, does not impact the power to detect moderating effects, and does not alter the reliability of product terms. The authors outline the positive effects of mean-centering, namely, the increased interpretability of the results and its importance for moderator analysis in structural equations and multilevel analysis. It is recommended that researchers center their predictor variables when their variables do not have meaningful zero-points within the range of the variables to assist in interpreting the results.

A cluster analysis investigation of workaholism as a syndrome.

Workaholism has been conceptualized as a syndrome although there have been few tests that explicitly consider its syndrome status. The authors analyzed a three-dimensional scale of workaholism developed by Spence and Robbins (1992) using cluster analysis. The authors identified three clusters of individuals, one of which corresponded to Spence and Robbinss profile of the workaholic (high work involvement, high drive to work, low work enjoyment). Consistent with previously conjectured relations with workaholism, individuals in the workaholic cluster were more likely to label themselves as workaholics, more likely to have acquaintances label them as workaholics, and more likely to have lower life satisfaction and higher work-life imbalance. The importance of considering workaholism as a syndrome and the implications for effective interventions are discussed.

Uncovering Faking Samples in Applicant, Incumbent, and Experimental Data Sets: An Application of Mixed-Model Item Response Theory

Most research on faking personality inventories has assumed that individuals are either faking or responding honestly; distinctions within these two groups are generally not made. A recently developed statistical technique, mixed-model item response theory, was used to identify subgroups within samples of individuals taking two different personality inventories under various conditions. For one personality test, the authors obtained a sample of applicants and incumbents. For the second test, a sample of honest respondents and two samples of respondents instructed to fake (coached and ad lib) were obtained. Across the applicant and incumbent data sets, the authors generally found that three classes were needed to model all response patterns. In the experimental faking study, an honest class and an extreme faking class were needed to model the data. Overall, these results demonstrate that previous assumptions about the nature of faking on personality inventories have been too restrictive.

Measurement Equivalence Between Applicant and Incumbent Groups: An IRT Analysis of Personality Scales

Incumbents are often used in the development and validation of a wide variety of personnel selection instruments, including noncognitive instruments such as personality tests. However, the degree to which assumed motivational factors impact the measurement equivalence and validity of tests developed using incumbents has not been adequately addressed. This study addressed this issue by examining the measurement equivalence of 6 personality scales between a group applying for jobs as sales managers in a large retail organization (N = 999) and a group of sales managers currently employed in that organization (N = 796). A graded item response theory model (Samejima, 1969) was fit to the personality scales in each group. Results indicated that moderately large differences existed in personality scale scores (approximately 1/2 standard deviation units) but only one of the six scales contained any items that evidenced differential item functioning and no scales evidenced differential test functioning. In addition, person-level analyses showed no apparent differences across groups in aberrant responding. The results suggest that personality measures used for selection retain similar psychometric properties to those used in incumbent validation studies.

Reconnecting With the Spirit of Workplace Ethnography A Historical Review

We chronicle the early history of organizational research in which ethnography was an important methodological tool used to study workers’ experiences. Early applied psychologists and management researchers were conversant with leading ethnographies and cited their work, occasionally even doing ethnography themselves. Although there is currently a vibrant niche of organizational researchers who use ethnography, the vast majority of organizational researchers have relied less on workplace ethnographies, citing them infrequently. We outline benefits of ethnography and explain reasons why organizational researchers should reconnect with the spirit of ethnography, even if practical constraints keep them from conducting ethnographical work themselves. In addition, we provide a list of recommended workplace ethnographies that have been cited most frequently by organizational researchers.

Effects of item context specificity on the measurement equivalence of a personality inventory.

Personality measures with items that ask respondents to characterize themselves across a range of situations are increasingly used for personnel selection purposes. Research conducted in a laboratory setting has found that personality items may have different psychometric characteristics depending on the degree to which that range is widened or narrowed (i.e., degree of contextualization). This study is an attempt to study the psychometric impact of contextualization in a large field sample (N = 1,078). Respondents were given either a contextualized (at work) or noncontextualized (in general) version of the six facets of the conscientiousness factor of the NEO PI-R. Analyses were conducted at the facet and item levels. Results were mixed but indicated that error variances tended to be slightly lower for the work-specific instrument in comparison to the noncontextualized instrument. Implications for personality inventory development, validation, and use are discussed.

Detecting Response Styles and Faking in Personality and Organizational Assessments by Mixed Rasch Models

Mixture IRT models such as the mixed Rasch model (RM) have the potential to illuminate conflicting findings in the analysis of responses to organizational assessments of noncognitive abilities such as personality inventories and attitude assessments. The preponderance of psychometric work (especially in the early history of test analysis) has been done in the realm of cognitive abilities, where data are presumably much more ordered than in the personality or noncognitive ability domains (see Zickar, 2001). One key difference between personality and ability assessment is that in personality measurement, respondents often know what the “correct” or socially desirable answer is even if that answer does not apply to their own personality. Given this, responses to personality items depend not only on the respondent’s true personality but also his or her motivation to respond favorably (or unfavorably in certain situations). This can create problems because in a given sample of job applicants there may be a diversity of faking styles present. Some or most respondents may reply honestly out of ethical or religious reasons or for fear of getting caught. Other respondents may feel no compunction about distorting and will choose answers that they believe will result in their best chance of being hired. Finally, others, perhaps worried about getting caught but still motivated to get hired, might slightly exaggerate their personality characteristics to increase their chances of being hired.

A New Look at the Role of Insiders in the Newcomer Socialization Process

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of socialization-related attitudes and behaviors exhibited by insiders on the development of organizational newcomers. New graduate students, advanced graduate students, and faculty members responded to surveys at two different time periods. Insiders’ attitudes toward socialization were predictive of their involvement in socialization activities. New student involvement in activities that were initiated by faculty members and advanced students was related to role conflict, role ambiguity, and service to the department. Faculty and advanced student attitudes and behaviors, aggregated to the department level, predicted new student departmental service. The authors conclude that the recent call for renewed interest in the role of insiders in the socialization process is warranted.

Evaluating two morningness scales with item response theory

Using a student sample (n=692) and an organization sample (n=180), we scrutinized two morning–evening orientation scales using item response theory (IRT) methods. We used IRT to compare the measurement precision of the Composite Scale (CS) and the Early/Late Preferences Scale (PS). The CS had slightly higher measurement precision at all ranges of orientations, except for extreme morning and evening orientations for which the PS had slightly higher precision. IRT item-level statistics were also computed to try to understand how morning-orientation items functioned. Items that asked questions about morning activities tended to be more discriminating indicators of morning-orientation than items that asked about evening or peak performance activities. Items that involved unpleasant activities were less frequently endorsed than items that involved neutral or enjoyable activities. Implications for measurement of morning–evening orientation are discussed.