Synopses & Reviews
"The organization may be an integrated system, but organizational science is not."—The Editors
Although quick to acknowledge organizations as multilevel systems, organizational science has traditionally developed and tested theoretical models from three distinct points of view—organizational, group and individual. Each level has become the province of different disciplines, theories, and approaches that have evolved over time. The current challenge is to integrate processes occurring across and within all levels of an organization that affect the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations as a whole.
Editors Katherine J. Klein and Steve W. J. Kozlowski draw on their own ample credentials and those of two dozen I/O experts to illuminate the interdependence of today's organizational behavior patterns and to integrate the discipline for future study. The contributors examine top-down, bottom-up processes and effects; they identify central issues, provide examples of integrated, multilevel models, and evaluate the dominant and most accepted techniques for the analysis of multilevel data. \x09
By synthesizing, evaluating, and updating current theory, Multilevel Theory, Research, and Methods in Organizations unifies, rather than fragments, the discipline's knowledge base. Seasoned practitioners and students of organizational structure and psychology will find the tools to bridge the gap between macro and micro approaches. This volume will stimulate and guide future researchers by providing convincing argument that multilevel analysis should be considered in the study of virtually all phenomena that occur in organizations today.
Synopsis
Organizational structures are more complex than ever before, their various inner-constructs more interdependent. Complex processes occur within and across levels that affect the behavior of individuals, groups and organizations. Without a multi-level theory to illuminate this dynamic organizational web, industrial and organizational psychologists risk losing the big-picture understanding of organizations as a whole.
This volume cuts through the confusion surrounding the development and testing of multilevel theories and provides examples of how to develop integrative models. It also describes multilevel data analytic systems, highlighting the appropriate use, strengths and weaknesses of each system, and clarifying points of agreement and disagreement among the proponents of each system.
Synopsis
Organizational science has never been a fully integrated discipline. Traditionally, organizational research has been conducted from three distinct points of view--the organization, the group, and the individual--although it is clear that processes occurring across all levels of an organization affect the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations as a whole. This fragmentation has encouraged the proliferation of separate disciplines, theories, and approaches. But in this volume, two dozen experts convince readers to consider multilevel analysis in the study of virtually all phenomena that occur within organizations. By illuminating top-down, bottom-up, and A-level processes and effects within an organization, the contributors bridge the gap between macro and micro approaches with a single unified theory.
About the Author
KATHERINE J. KLEIN is associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Maryland. She is the author of numerous books, chapters, and articles, a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association, and a member of the editorial boards of key professional journals. Klein resides in Washington, D.C. STEVE W.J. KOZLOWSKI is professor of organizational psychology and program head at Michigan State University. The author of numerous books, chapters and articles, he serves on the editorial boards of key professional journals and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Table of Contents
EXTENDING MULTILEVEL ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY.
A Multilevel Approach to Theory and Research in Organizations: Contexual
Temporal, and Emergent Processes.
Personnel Selection Psychology: Multilevel Considerations.
Performance Appraisal and Performance Management: A Multilevel Analysis.
A Multilevel Approach to Training Effectiveness: Enhancing Horizontal and
Vertical Transfer.
Moving HR to a Higher Level: HR Practices and Organizational Effectiveness.
Interorganizational Relationships: A Multilevel Perspective.
Multilevel Issues and Culture: An Integrative View.
ANALYZING MULTILEVEL DATA.
Within-Group Agreement, Non-Independence, and Reliability: Implications for
Data Aggregation.
The Cross-Level Operator in Regression, ANCOVA, and Contexual Analysis.
Within and Between Analysis: The Varient Paradigm as an Underlying Approach
to Theory Building and Testing.
The Application of Hierarchical Linear Modeling to Organizational Research.
Multilevel Analytical Techniques: Commonalities, Differences, and
Continuing Questions.
COMMENTARY.
Networks and Frog Ponds: Trends in Multilevel Research.
Multilevel Competencies and Missing Linkages.