Dealing with Common Method Variance and Bias in Business and Management Research: The Impact of Basketball Coaches Cross-cultural Communication Competence

Business and management research often uses questionnaires to explore the views and perceptions of managers and in so doing collect data for both independent and dependent variables from the same source. This practice has been identified as potentially susceptible to common method variance and bias which can impact research and reduce its rigor.
This case study uses research which was designed to investigate the impact that NCAA basketball coaches’ Cross-cultural communication skills had on their team’s collective efficacy, to explore the concept of common method variance and bias and some approaches which can be taken to mitigate its impact.
In this research, it was decided that both the independent and dependent variables would be developed from questionnaire responses from coaches, so careful planning of the questionnaire was required to mitigate the potential impact of common method variance. Reducing the potential for common method variance where it might prevail is increasingly being seen as important within business and management research, so an understanding of when it might exist and careful consideration and planning, where appropriate, before collecting data is important.