The Identification and Use of Etic and Emic Constructs in Cross- Cultural Work-Family Research

Transcription

1 The Identification and Use of Etic and Emic Constructs in Cross- Cultural Work-Family Research Janice R. W. Joplin Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Anne Marie Francesco Hong Kong Baptist University Theresa Lau Hong Kong Polytechnic University

2 Methodological Issues in Work-Family Research Proliferation of international research in workfamily From , 219 articles with at least one non-u.s. sample (Shaffer, Joplin, & Hsu, 2011) Use of predominantly U.S.-developed measures Minimal efforts to ascertain appropriateness of measure for culture in which being used For cross-cultural studies, testing to assure equivalent interpretation of items across cultures rarely conducted

3 Etic Vs. Emic Constructs Emic (indigenous) - Culture is described in its own terms, researcher tries to gain understanding of how people within selected culture view construct that is particular to them Etic (universal) Assumes phenomenon under study applies similarly to everyone, researcher wants to investigate explicit differences across cultures

4 Predominant Etic Approach Etic approach more common in cross-cultural business research Often imposed/pseudo etics Etic shortcut Take constructs from one culture into another without prior emic study Common approach - Use instrument from N. America in another setting without concern for reliability or validity there

5 Imposed Etics and Work-Family Research Imposed etics often used in work-family research outside U.S. Example: Attending church part of personal domain in U.S. but part of family domain in Mexico (Posthuma, Joplin, & Maertz, 2005) Shortchanging knowledge repository researchers are hoping to build Generalization across cultures when not warranted

6 Work-Family Concepts and Culture Assumption that work and family serve same function across cultures may be incorrect Example Work domain may be integrated with family domain in some cultures (Powell, Francesco, & Ling, 2009) Mental map of what is included in work and family domains may differ when using WFC scale leading to difficult to explain or counterintuitive findings

7 Importance of Etic Vs. Emic for Work- Family Research Most current research makes etic assumptions Little thought about how cultures define domains or appropriate measures of constructs May miss most important aspects of phenomena Two approaches can be complementary

8 Best Approach to Cross-Cultural Work- Family Studies Identify emic vs. etic constructs Concerns when designing comparative study Is central construct(s) etic? Emic aspects of construct? If emic aspects substantial and alter meaning of construct, are measures included to capture emic nature of construct? Are construct meanings different enough to warrant removing a distinct culture from comparative multi-cultural sample? Or, presenting results separately in research report? If central construct of study (e.g., work-family conflict, facilitation, or balance) proves to be etic in nature, are proposed antecedents (e.g., work or family demands), consequences (e.g., job or family satisfaction), moderators (e.g., supervisory or organizational support), and mediators (e.g., life satisfaction) etic or emic? If antecedent or consequence substantially emic, is antecedent or consequence removed from study report or analyzed and reported separately? One measure fits all approach severely and negatively impacts value of using psychometrically sound and equivalent measures in comparative field studies.

9 Equivalence in Cross-Cultural Studies Functional equivalence Assures activity serves same function in different societies Conceptual equivalence Regards use of concepts that may apply in one culture but not appropriate for use in other countries Instrument (or measurement) equivalence Permits comparison of same variables across cultures, whether for quantitative or qualitative research, and deemed culture-free Few cross-cultural work-family studies investigate measurement equivalence (Shaffer et al., 2011)

10 Meaningful Work-Family Research Should Use Both Approaches Etic approaches should be informed by attempts to establish functional, conceptual, and measurement equivalence Emic approaches useful in establishing functional and conceptual equivalence; should play important role in cross-cultural workfamily research agendas

11 Combining Two Approaches for Maximum Impact Begin with emic approach using qualitative techniques and then translate results into etic, quantitative approach as input for further study (Sinkovics, Penz, & Ghauri, 2008) Use derived etic approach where researchers gain emic knowledge of cultures of interest through participation and/or observation and then attempt to cross-culturally connect emic aspects of interest; when commonalities found, comparisons can be made (Schaffer & Riordan, 2003)

12 An Ongoing Example of Best Practice Large scale cross-cultural study of work-family (Korabik, Lero, & Ayman, 2003) Multicultural team began with adaptation of Frone model (Frone, Yardley, & Markle, 1997); added socio-cultural, contextual, and policy variables to address emic concerns Team from many countries so researchers contributed knowledge of cultural context and opinion on local suitability of various methodologies

13 An Ongoing Example of Best Practice Stage one - Focus group discussions in each country to identify important emic issues related to work-family interface in each country Stage two - Policy analysis focused on macro level variables; to address both emic and etic concerns, information collected from each country with a view to understanding specific situation as well as to make cross-country comparisons Stage three - Imposed etic approach with quantitative survey including measures validated in U.S. and some emic items and scales identified in the first and second stages as being needed

14 Conclusion Work-family researchers need to carefully examine etic, emic, and equivalence issues in early stages of comparative cross-cultural studies Inclusion of work needed to identify emic aspects of constructs and degree of universality of constructs will improve understanding of constructs and how they operate in different countries and ability to make relevant comparisons across cultures Scholars would then be able to draw better conclusions about antecedents and consequences of central workfamily constructs with higher degree of confidence and less confusion about counter-intuitive findings