A CENTRAL QUESTION IN CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH - DO EMPLOYEES OF DIFFERENT CULTURES INTERPRET WORK-RELATED MEASURES IN AN EQUIVALENT MANNER

Within the present research, a covariance structure analytic procedure is applied to test the stability and transferability of organizationa l measures between groups in cross-cultural research. Findings support the need to establish the equivalency of constructs and measures prio r to interpreting differences in means of self-report variables betwee n culturally diverse groups. Indeed, for two measures, the cultural gr oups were using different conceptual frames of reference when respondi ng to the items. For a third measure, the groups were calibrating the true scores differently. However, the source of the calibration differ ence was identified and subsequently accounted for in later analyses. Thus, differences between latent means for the culturally diverse grou ps were calculated and interpreted. The approach outlined in this pape r is proffered as yielding valuable insights regarding the appropriate ness of comparative cross-cultural studies.