Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/264545 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Citation: 
[Journal:] Human Resource Management Journal [ISSN:] 1748-8583 [Volume:] 32 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [Place:] Hoboken, USA [Year:] 2021 [Pages:] 485-513
Publisher: 
Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Hoboken, USA
Abstract: 
There are broadly two dimensions on which researchers can evaluate their statistical models: explanatory power and predictive power. Using data on job satisfaction in ageing workforces, we empirically highlight the importance of distinguishing between these two dimensions clearly by showing that a model with a certain degree of explanatory power can produce vastly different levels of predictive power and vice versa—in the same and different contexts. In a further step, we review all the papers published in three top‐tier human resource management journals between 2014 and 2018 to show that researchers generally confuse explanation and prediction. Specifically, while almost all authors rely solely on explanatory power assessments (i.e., assessing whether the coefficients are significant and in the hypothesised direction), they also derive practical recommendations, which inherently result from a predictive scenario. Based on our results, we provide HRM researchers recommendations on how to improve the rigour of their explanatory studies.
Subjects: 
explanation
explanatory power
generalisability
prediction
predictive power
relevance
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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