Creating a variable using q method(qfactor)

[hee sun]

Dear Statlist,

I used the command qfactor to conduct Q factor analysis to examine person-organization fit. Then, I read a couple articles that mentioned something like the Q score was created by correlating individual profile with organizational profile (Brifely, same 40 items with a different instruction were used to measure the individual and organizational profiles from the same 80 respondents).Again, respondents have indicated their perception of and preference for the same items, and the Q method creates a correlation of each individual's scores on these paired responses.

I think a correlation coefficient is calculated for two variables and has a single value. Thus, all of the respondents should have the same value for the relationship bewteen two variables. Then, how it can be used as a variable? I know that I can use a factor score that creates different values for each respondent. However, it seems that many organizational researchers calculate a variable by correlating the ratings of the items in the two profiles. I believe this way of measuing person-organization fit is called an indirect measure of person-organization fit(Cable & Judge, 1996; Chatman, 1991; O'reilly et al., 1991). Could you educate me to generate this type of variable?

Thanks,

Cable, D. and Judge, T. (1996) Person-organization fit, job choice
decisions, and organizational entry. Organizational Behavior &
Human Decision Processes, 673, 294–311.

Chatman, J.A. (1989) Improving interactional organizational
research: A model of person-organization fit. Academy of
Management Review, 14, 333–349.

O’Reilly, C.A. and Chatman, J.A. (1986) Organization commitment
and psychological attachment: The effects of compliance,
identification, and internalization on prosocial behavior. Journal
of Applied Psychology, 71, 492–499.

[Weiwen Ng]

Hee,

I only know what Q methodology is because I have one friend whose dissertation is based on it. It is a very niche method. This may be a better question to ask on a forum that is more specific to Q methodology, or you could try emailing the author of the qfactor program.