SOME FOUNDATIONAL AND GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR MULTI-LEVEL CONSTRUCT VALIDATION

Abstract

We review and extend the arguments of Chen, Mathieu and Bliese by providing some foundational and guiding questions to assist researchers in multi-level construct validation. First, we suggest that all multi-level researchers need to gain a firm understanding of the difference between individual and collective constructs. Second, we make a distinction between collective constructs that describe the collection of individuals within the group vs. those that describe the collective as a whole. This distinction provides a framework to sort the various compositional models discussed by Chen et al. into two broad categories. After discussing these two questions, we then develop a decision tree that guides researchers through a series of questions and ultimately helps researchers to identify the appropriate compositional model.