How different survey techniques can impact consultant recommendations: A scientist-practitioner study comparing two popular methods.

Abstract

Very little research has compared how consultant survey methods may result in different recommendations for change. This study compared the job satisfaction method to the reason method to understand employee turnover motives. To control for content, measures from both methods were applied to the same attribute categories, such as job pay, the work itself, and job security. Results indicated that the reason approach demonstrated considerably more predictive validity than the job satisfaction approach and provided unique insight into specific turnover motives (e.g., salary and supervisor relationships). These results directly impacted subsequent intervention choices of the client. Results suggest that consultants can generate even better recommendations for clients if they include reason scales in their survey-based projects.

The role of prosocial and proactive personality in customer citizenship behaviors

“…Surveys are an appropriate research approach to ascertain attitudes and/or behaviors of individuals in a population (Creswell, 2003) and to ask questions about the variables of interest (Westaby, 2006). For increased generalizability of findings, we considered a variety of service businesses (Yi and Gong, 2006).…”