Beyond redundancy: rethinking construct proliferation through meaning, practice, and taxonomy.

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Management Science
• Research Methodology

Background:

• Construct proliferation (CP) in organizational research is often viewed as a problem of redundant measures with different names but similar meanings (jingle-jangle fallacy).
• Existing approaches tend to focus on the 'jangle' aspect (different names, same meaning) while overlooking 'jingle' (same name, different meanings).
• This overlooks the critical issue of semantic divergence where shared labels mask distinct conceptual underpinnings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a more comprehensive understanding of construct proliferation (CP) in organizational research.
• To highlight the underemphasized problem of semantic divergence under shared labels.
• To propose that CP stems from deeper structural dynamics and suggest novel analytical approaches.

Main Methods:

• This perspective paper analyzes the conceptual and methodological challenges of construct proliferation.
• It critiques prevailing frameworks by contrasting the jingle-jangle fallacy with semantic divergence.
• It proposes leveraging semantic analysis for a deeper understanding of construct meaning.

Main Results:

• Prevailing approaches to construct proliferation (CP) overemphasize redundancy and neglect semantic divergence under shared labels.
• CP is linked to structural dynamics like audience misalignment and uncoordinated construct definition and use.
• These dynamics lead to taxonomic incommensurability, hindering meaningful integration of constructs.
• Semantic analysis offers a promising tool to address CP at the meaning level, beyond measurement.

Conclusions:

• Construct proliferation (CP) requires addressing semantic divergence, not just redundancy.
• Deeper structural issues, including audience misalignment and lack of coordination, fuel CP.
• Effective solutions involve conceptual clarification, cross-domain coordination, and integrating research with practice, enhanced by semantic analysis.