Extra-role interpersonal interactions in Chinese organizational contexts: construct, measurement, and validity

As organizational scholars have become critically attuned to management situations in different cultural backgrounds, interest in relevant interactions with work roles in the context of Chinese organizations has grown rapidly. However, no formal description of such scenarios has been proposed, nor has a valid scale to measure extra-role interpersonal interaction (ERII) in Chinese organizational contexts been developed. To address this, we conducted a systematic multi-study-scale development project. We developed a 12-item measure of ERII comprising three dimensions: interaction for belonging, recreational interaction, and emotional interaction, and used this measure to empirically test the correlation and discriminant validity of ERII and related concept scales. In Study 1, Grounded Theory was used to explore the connotations and dimensions of ERII through interviews and coding, and an initial 19-item scale was formed. In Study 2, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis using data collected from organizations with 359 samples from collaborative backgrounds and online platforms to test and revise the initial scale. In Study 3, we performed confirmatory factor analysis with an additional sample of 715 to confirm that the 3-dimensional and 12-item ERII scale supported the qualitative study coding conclusions. In Study 4, we conducted criterion and discriminant validity tests using 228 samples collected online to prove the validity and discriminability of the ERII construct and the measurement. Collectively, the four studies provide preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the ERII scale, as well as for a theoretical model linking ERII to meaningful individual and organizational outcomes.