Examining PERMA+4 and Work Role Performance beyond Self-Report Bias: Insights from Multitrait-Multimethod Analyses
Abstract
Self-report and monomethod bias threaten the validity of contemporary workplace research. The current study used multitrait-multimethod analyses to examine the relationship between positive work and organizations constructs PERMA+4 and work role performance (adaptivity, proactivity, and proficiency) beyond self-report and monomethod bias. Findings from 221 coworker pairs demonstrated strong positive convergence between self-reported and collateral-reported PERMA+4 (r > .85) and work role performance (r>.85), including organizational adaptivity (r > .71), organizational proactivity (r > .68), and organizational proficiency (r > .73). PERMA+4 was also a significant predictor of overall work role performance. A multitrait-multimethod matrix showed that monomethod trait interrelationships were systematically higher than heteromethod trait interrelationships with inflated correlations ranging from .07 to .20. Monomethod parameter estimates and coefficients of determination were generally higher than in bias corrected self-reports, knowledgeable collateral-reports, and heteromethod parameter estimates. The results provide support for the validity of the relationship between PERMA+4 and work role performance, and suggest the importance of including procedural design and statistical control methods in workplace surveys to correct for self-report and monomethod bias.
