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Discovering Unobserved Heterogeneity In Structural Equation Models To Avert Validity Threats, Jan-Michael Becker, Arun Rai, Christian M. Ringle, Franziska Völckner

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

A large proportion of information systems research is concerned with developing and testing models pertaining to complex cognition, behaviors, and outcomes of individuals, teams, organizations, and other social systems that are involved in the development, implementation, and utilization of information technology. Given the complexity of these social and behavioral phenomena, heterogeneity is likely to exist in the samples used in IS studies. While researchers now routinely address observed heterogeneity by introducing moderators, a priori groupings, and contextual factors in their research models, they have not examined how unobserved heterogeneity may affect their findings. We describe why unobserved heterogeneity threatens different …