Measurement of Variables

Operational Definition

Learning Outcomes

• Students should be able to formulate operational definition among variables in business research

Outlines

• Operational definition• Variable and sub variable• Type of scale• Measuring variables

How Variables Are Measured• Measurement of the variables in the theoretical

framework is an integral part of research and an important aspect of research design

• Objects that can be physically measured by some calibrated instruments pose no measurement problem

• Example:– The length and the width of a rectangular office table

can be easily measured with a ruler– The office floor area can be as well measured with a

measuring tape

• Data representing several demographic characteristics of the office personnel are obtained easily by straight forward asking employees such questions:– How long have you been working in this organization?– How long have you been working on this particular

assignment?– What is your job title?– What is your marital status?

• One can also check the company records to obtain or verify certain information

• However, it is not easy for someone to deal with managerial decisions when he has to make careful interpretation about deciding to fire factory worker.

• The number of incidents, the motivation of the worker and the tenure are likely to play an important part in decision making

Operational Definition

• Is a statement of the specific dimensions and elements through which a concept will become measureable

• It can be done by looking at the behavioral dimensions, facets, or properties denoted by the concept

Operationalizing the Concept of Achievement Motivation

• How do we expect behavioral dimensions or facets or characteristics people with high achievement motivation?

• They probably have five typical broad characteristics called dimensions:– Driven by work– No mood to relax – Prefer to work on their own than with others– With mind and heart set on accomplishment and

achievement, love challenging job rather than easy ones– Yearning to know their job’s progress

Elements of Dimension 1

• It is possible to describe the behavior of a person who is driven by work:– Be at work all the time • count the number of beyond working hours at the

workplace– Be reluctant to take time off from work • how many hours they are likely to pursue their

unfinished assignment at home– Persevere even in the face of some setbacks • not give up easily

Elements of Dimension 2• The degree of unwillingness to relax can be

measured by asking persons such questions as:– How often do you think about work while You are

away from the workplace?– What are your hobbies?– How do you spend your time when you are away from

the workplace?• Thus we can place employees on a continuum

ranging from those who relax very well to those who relax very little. This dimension the becomes measurable

Elements of Dimension 3

• Individuals with high achievement motivation have no patience with ineffective people and are reluctant to work with others

• There are others who are not highly achievement motivated and rather willing to work with almost anybody

• Thus impatience with ineffectiveness can also be measured by observing behavior

Elements of Dimension 4• A measure of how excited people are at seeking

challenging jobs can be had by asking employees what kinds of jobs they prefer.

• A number of different job descriptions can be presented– stereotyped work of routine nature until challenging ones.

• Employee preferences for different types of jobs could then be placed on a continuum ranging from those who prefer fairly routine jobs to those who prefer jobs with a progressive increase in challenge

Elements of Dimension 5• Those who desire feedback would seek it from

their superiors, co-workers, and subordinates• Either positive or negative feedback would

indicate them how much they are achieving and accomplishing

• By keeping track of how often individual seeks feedback from others during a certain period of time, employees can be placed on a continuum ranging from those who seek extensive feedback from all sources to those who never seek any feedback from anyone at anytime

Example

Scales

• A scale is a tool or mechanism by which individuals are distinguished as to how they differ from one another on the variables of interest.

• Type of scales: – Nominal– Ordinal– Interval– Ratio

Nominal Scale• Nominal scale splits data into certain

categories or groups– Men and women, these two groups can be

assigned code numbers 1 and 2

Ordinal Scale• Ordinal scale not only categorizes the variables’

differences among the various categories, it also ranks (orders) data in some meaningful way– Exercising for 20 minutes is good, for 30 minutes is

better, for 40 minutes is best

Interval Scale• Interval scale sets data on a continuum thus

allows us to perform certain arithmetical operations on the data collected– From very low………………….………..to very high

Ratio Scale• Ratio scale overcomes the disadvantage of other

scales, since it starts with absolute zero and indicates proportion– Ten is twice as big as five

Comparisons of Four Scales