The Study of Congruence in Organizational Behavior Research: Critique and a Proposed Alternative

Numerous studies in organizational behavior research have examined the congruence (i.e., fit, match, agreement, similarity) between two constructs as a predictor of some outcome. The vast majority of these studies have operationalized congruence by collapsing two or more measures into a single index, such as an algebraic, absolute, or squared difference, or an index of profile similarity (D, D2, etc.). Unfortunately, these indices present numerous substantive and methodological problems that severely threaten the interpretability and conclusiveness of the obtained results. This article summarizes problems with congruence indices, presents an alternative approach that overcomes these problems, and illustrates this approach using data from two samples. Recommendations regarding the use and further development of this approach are offered.