The measurement equivalence of web-based and paper-and-pencil measures of transformational leadership: A multinational test
Journal
Organizational Research Methods
ISSN
1094-4281
ISSN-Digital
1552-7425
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2006-07-01
Author(s)
Cole, Michael
;
Bedeian, Arthur G.
;
Feild, Hubert S.
Abstract
Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the responses of 4, 909 employees of a multinational organization with locations in 50 countries to examine the measurement equivalence of otherwise identical Web-based and paper-and-pencil versions of 20 items comprising the transformational leadership component of Bass and Avolio's Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The results supported configural, metric, scalar, measurement error, and relational equivalence across administration modes, indicating that the psychometric properties of the 20 items were similar whether administered as a paper-and-pencil or Web-based measure. Although caution is always advised when considering multiple modes of administration, the results suggest that there are minimal measurement differences for well-developed, psychometrically sound instruments applied using either a paper-and-pencil or an online format. Thus, the results open a methodological door for survey researchers wishing to (a) assess transformational leadership with a Web-based platform and (b) compare or combine responses collected with paper-and-pencil and Web-based applications.
Language
English
Keywords
transformation
leadership
multinational
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Sage
Publisher place
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Volume
9
Number
3
Start page
339
End page
369
Pages
31
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
22599
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
Cole et al. (2006)_ORM.pdf
Size
134.96 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
49dccf7c130c209cdbcd32b4be162645