INTERACTION BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND SITUATIONS - USING HLM PROCEDURESTO ESTIMATE RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS

This paper proposes Hierarchical Linear Models as a procedure for inve stigating reciprocal interaction between individuals and their group c ontext. This interaction is an important component of many theories of organizational behavior. A study of task-performing laboratory groups examined the relationship between individual affect and group cohesio n over seven measurement occasions. A series of three HLM analyses was used to estimate the relationship between group cohesion and individu al affect over time. The first analysis estimated a cross-level model of the impact of group cohesion of levels of individual affect in grou ps. The second analysis used the residual from the cross-level analysi s as a predictor of subsequent levels of group cohesion for each of th e seven time periods. The third analysis used HLM procedures to pool t he results of the previous analyses over the seven measurement periods . Results of the HLM procedure provide a method for linking within-gro up measures to subsequent group level outcomes.