On the Measurement and Control of Beta Change: Problems with the Bedeian, Armenakis, and Gibson Technique/Reply to Terborg, Maxwell, and Howard

The evaluation of change in organization development (OD) panel designs is complicated by the possibility that the respondent may have recalibrated the rating scale (beta change) or reconceptualized the construct (gamma change). Two different techniques claim to identify and control for these proble...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Academy of Management review 1982-04, Vol.7 (2), p.292
Main Authors: Terborg, James R, Maxwell, Scott E, Howard, George S, Armenakis, Achilles A, Bedeian, Arthur G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beta
Changes
Measurement
Organization development
Ratings
Scale
Techniques
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The evaluation of change in organization development (OD) panel designs is complicated by the possibility that the respondent may have recalibrated the rating scale (beta change) or reconceptualized the construct (gamma change). Two different techniques claim to identify and control for these problems when the individual is the unit of analysis. Some serious problems of interpretation can result with the Bedeian, Armenakis, and Gibson (1980) technique. It is suggested that a method is needed that can assess different types of change in OD interventions. Armenakis and Bedeian review both their own procedure and that suggested by Terborg et al. They suggest that while neither procedure is free from criticism, a careful weighing of the benefits and limitations of each procedure must be performed before a decision can be reached as to which technique is preferable. In general response to the criticism, Armenakis and Bedeian suggest that the retrospective procedure is subject to respondent rhetoric.
ISSN:0363-7425
1930-3807