Addressing Common Method Variance: Guidelines for Survey Research on Information Technology, Operations, and Supply Chain Management

Common method variance (CMV) is the amount of spurious correlation between variables that is created by using the same method-often a survey-to measure each variable. CMV may lead to erroneous conclusions about relationships between variables by inflating or deflating findings. We analyzed recent su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on engineering management 2011-08, Vol.58 (3), p.578-588
Main Authors: Craighead, Christopher W., Ketchen, David J., Dunn, K. S., Hult, G. G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
common method bias
Common method variance (CMV)
Construction
Correlation
Correlation analysis
empirical research
Engineering management
Information systems
Information technology
Management
Measurement uncertainty
methods
Operations management
Operations research
Psychology
Remedies
Studies
Supply chain management
Supply chains
survey research
Systematics
Time measurement
Variance
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Summary:Common method variance (CMV) is the amount of spurious correlation between variables that is created by using the same method-often a survey-to measure each variable. CMV may lead to erroneous conclusions about relationships between variables by inflating or deflating findings. We analyzed recent survey research in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of Operations Management, and Production and Operations Management to assess if and how scholars address CMV. We found that two-thirds of the relevant articles published between 2001 and 2009 did not formally address CMV, and many that did address CMV relied on relatively weak remedies. These findings have troubling implications for efforts to build knowledge within information technology, operations and supply chain management research. In an effort to strengthen future research designs, we provide recommendations to help scholars to better address CMV. Given the potentially severe effects of CMV, authors should apply the recommended CMV remedies within their survey-based studies, and reviewers should hold authors accountable when they fail to do so.
ISSN:0018-9391
1558-0040
DOI:10.1109/TEM.2011.2136437