Studying dynamic processes by experience sampling methodology: Challenges and opportunities for organization research

Abstract

There has been growing attention in organizational behaviour research to the dynamism in workplace relationships and to how such dynamic processes any series of action or mood or attitude changes of employees shape key behavioural outcomes. Experience sampling methodology (ESM) brings more opportunity than any other research option to examine such fluctuations and relevant causal relationships. ESM can be described as a quantitative method which allows to assess individuals' discrete evaluative states on multiple events by combining three distinct elements, person variables and occasion. Despite its increasing prevalence and popularity however there has been only a few attempts to discuss and analyse data collection schedules and procedures sample characteristics measurement properties and types of analysis most appropriate for experience sampling data. Even though ESM has been utilized in organization research for some time systematic investigations regarding how all these issues have been addressed and how it has been applied to specific organizational topics are very limited. Accordingly this study provides a systematic and critical assessment of the use of ESM in current organization research (2015-2019) by using a random sample of 40 ESM studies. By doing so it identifies the unique opportunities and challenges regarding each aforementioned methodological aspects. © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.