Vlerick Working Papers 2003/01 RESPONSE PREFERENCE IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH: DO RESPONDENTS TO CLASSICAL AND INTERNET SURVEYS POSSESS DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS? RESPONSE PREFERENCE IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH: DO RESPONDEN

ABSTRACT The Internet has become a widespread tool for conducting research in organizational behavior. Little is known, however, of the psychological characteristics of Internet users. In the present study, differences in motivation, satisfaction, behavioral patterns and work outcomes are examined among respondents who had the choice of either filling in an online or a traditional pen-and-paper version of a large-scale Flemish survey (N=5853). Participants in both groups were mostly professional workers. After controlling for demographic variables, our results suggest that those who responded over the Internet place higher importance on opportunities for self-development and on assuming responsibility than those who opted for the pen-and-paper version. Moreover, Internet respondents appeared to be less satisfied with the content of their jobs and with their bosses. They also reported a significantly higher intention to leave the organization. Finally, the Internet group reported less compulsive work addiction, fewer health complaints, and less work-to-family conflict. RESPONSE PREFERENCE IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH: DO RESPONDENTS TO CLASSICAL AND INTERNET SURVEYS POSSESS DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS? The Internet has become a tool that is widely used to conduct research in organizational behavior. Increasingly, both organizations and academic researchers consider the Internet as a viable resource for data collection Extending the well-established tradition of using stand-alone computers, many organizations now use the Internet to assess work attitudes, corporate culture, and perceptions of employees on an organizational level, while at the same time limiting time, cost, and effort. For large multinational organizations, the Internet seems to be an excellent means of gathering and comparing employee information from various units around the world. OB-researchers welcome the Internet as a convenient means of accessing large sample populations In order for research in management and organizational behavior to progress, it is nevertheless important for researchers to continuously assess the methods they emplo