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108 THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Exercise 5.13
A production manager is concerned about the low output levels of his
employees. The articles that he read on job performance frequently
mentioned four variables as important to job performance: skill
required for the job, rewards, motivation, and satisfaction. In several
of the articles it was also indicated that only if the rewards were valent
(attractive) to the recipients did motivation, satisfaction, and job per-
formance increase, not otherwise.

Given the above situation, do the following:
1. Define the problem.
2. Evolve a theoretical framework.
3. Develop at least six hypotheses.

Exercise 5.14
Retention of minority women at the workplace is becoming more and
more difficult. Not finding an influential mentor in the system who is
willing to help them, lack of an informal network with influential col-
leagues, lack of role models, and the dearth of high-visibility projects
result in dissatisfaction experienced at work and the minority women
ultimately decide to leave the organization. Of course, not all minor-
ity women quit the system. Only those who have the wherewithal (for
example, resources and self-confidence) to start their own business
leave the organization.

For the above situation, define the problem, develop a theoretical frame-
work, and formulate six hypotheses.

Before concluding the discussion on hypotheses, it has to be reiterated that
hypotheses generation and testing can be done both through deduction and
induction. In deduction, the theoretical model is first developed, testable
hypotheses are then formulated, data collected, and then the hypotheses are
tested. In the inductive process, new hypotheses are formulated based on what
is known from the data already collected, which are then tested. Recall from our
discussions in Chapter 2, the example of the Hawthorne experiments, where new
hypotheses were developed after the data already collected did not substantiate
any of the original hypotheses.
In sum, new hypotheses not originally thought of or which have been pre-
viously untested might be developed after data are collected. Creative insights
might compel researchers to test a new hypothesis from existing data, which,
if substantiated, would add new knowledge and help theory building. Through
the enlargement of our understanding of the dynamics operating in different