A General Approach for Representing Constructs in Organizational Research

Abstract

A key assumption underlying methods of construct validation is that constructs and their indicators are represented at the appropriate depth (i.e., the specificity versus generality of constructs and their indicators). This article presents a framework that depicts constructs and indicators at various depths and provides guidelines for choosing from among these depths. The framework is then integrated with methods of construct validation based on the confirmatory factor analysis of multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrices. The authors apply these methods to the measurement of work values, using the Work Aspect Preference Scale (WAPS). Results show that the WAPS performs better when used to represent relatively specific work values as opposed to more global, general values. Further analyses supported the generalizability of the WAPS factor structure for men and women, although gender differences were found on structured means for several latent value dimensions.