Spector (1987) recently concluded that there is little evidence of method variance in multitraitmultimethod studies of self-reported affect and perceptions at work. In this article we propose that this conclusion was incorrect and was the result of improper analytical procedures. Specter's data were reanalyzed by using a more powerful approach: confirmatory factor analysis. Model comparisons and variance partitioning indicated that method variance is present and accounts for approximately 25% of the variance in the measures examined by Spector.Researchers in organizational behavior have shown an increasing interest in the effects of method variance on organizational research outcomes (e.g., Podsakoff & Organ, 1986). Most recently, Spector (1987) examined a series of multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrixes to determine the extent to which method variance is problematic in research on self-reported affect and perceptions of work. By using data from 10 published MTMM studies, Spector compared the correlations between different traits or constructs that were measured using the same method with the correlations of the different traits measured across methods. This analysis revealed that the first set of monomethod correlations was not significantly different from the second set of heteromethod correlations, and Spector concluded that there was little evidence of method variance.Specter's conclusion is contrary to widely held beliefs that method effects are omnipresent (e.g., Fiske, 1982;Peter, 1981) and findings from organizational behavior research concerning the importance of method variance. For example, Glick, Jenkins, and Gupta (1986) demonstrated through structural equation methodology that common method effects were present that inflated relationships between job characteristics and attitudinal outcomes. Similarly, Wagner and Gooding (1987) used meta-analysis to show that studies based on self-report measures of both participation in decision making and performance ratings yielded higher correlations between these two variables than those studies in which performance was measured by using a technique other than self-reports. Furthermore, Harvey, Billings, and Milan (1985) determined that the inclusion of method factors significantly improved the fit of confirmatory factor analysis models of the Job Diagnostic Survey.We would like to thank the Editor and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on previous versions of this article.

Burnout is a psychological response to work stress that is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment. In this paper, we review the burnout literature from 1993 to present, identifying important trends that have characterized the literature. We focus our attention on theoretical models that explain the process of burnout, the measurement of burnout, means of reducing burnout, and directions for the future of burnout research.

Accountability is a fundamental element of all societies and the organizations that operate within them. This paper focuses on the individual-level accountability concept of felt accountability (also referred to in the literature as simply accountability), which can be described as the perceptions of one's personal accountability. We describe key theories that have formed the theoretical groundwork for the body of felt accountability literature, and discuss the empirical research published since the last major review of the accountability literature in the late 1990s. Empirical research has revealed that accountability has both constructive and deleterious consequences. Moreover, research examining accountability and key outcomes has produced mixed results, suggesting that consideration of moderators and nonlinear relationships are important when examining accountability. Although accountability is an important construct, there are many issues that have yet to be investigated by scholars. We identify limitations and gaps in the current body of the empirical research and conclude the paper with suggestions for scholars striving to make contributions to this line of research.

The authors examine the construct validation results of 70 published data sets. The analysis shows that, on average, traits account for less than 50% of the variance in construct measures. These findings raise questions about the application of statistical techniques that assume minimal measurement error or do not properly model systematic measurement error.

Work relationships have come to form the very foundation of organizations and the contemporary embodiment of how most work gets accomplished, and there has been increased scholarly interest in this area. Although research has investigated the nature of high-quality and low-quality work relationships, few attempts have taken that next important step in more precisely articulating the actual dimensions that underlie work relationships, how they relate to one another, and how, as contextual background, they frame and influence organizational phenomena. In an effort to help address this gap in our understanding of relationships at work, this study briefly reviews the relevant literature on work relationships, extracting what is currently known about the specific aspects or underlying dimensions of such relationships. Then, the authors introduce an integrative multidimensional conceptualization of dyadic work relationships, which specifies the critical foundational dimensions and processes, and discusses the implications for future theory and research.