Using SPSS to Understand Research and Data Analysis.

4.2 A Hypothetical Project on Leadership Effectiveness

In the following sections, we first discuss the rationale behind this project and explain the variables to be included. We will hint at how the results of this study might turn out, but we stop short of a full explanation. Thus, even after reading the variable descriptions and creating the data file, you may be uncertain about the way in which the data relate to the purpose of this project. 

But that's alright, as many researchers feel the same way after actually having completed a study! That's what statistical analyses are for – helping the researcher understand the data – and part of the excitement of research comes from the gradual unfolding of the results of the study through data analyses. You will find that SPSS is a very powerful tool which can assist you in this discovery process.

The data from this hypothetical project have been fabricated to reflect some of the actual research in this area. The results have been created to be meaningful, and many may confirm your intuitions. So while you may find the study confusing at first, you should gradually develop a good understanding of the project as you progress through the exercises in this book.

Suppose that you are a social scientist who has been hired by a large corporation (EZ Manufacturing, Inc.) to conduct a study of leadership effectiveness. EZ is a high tech electronics manufacturing company which employs several thousand men and women on the assembly line, and is directed by several hundred people, mostly men, at various levels of management.

The upper-level management of this organization is interested in obtaining information relevant to their planned affirmative action program of promoting qualified women to management positions. While they are enthusiastic about this program, there is some apprehension due to the fact that these positions have traditionally been occupied almost exclusively by men.