Meta-analysis, level of analysis, and best estimates of population correlations: Cautions for interpreting meta-analytic results in organizational behavior.

Meta-analytic procedures allow for determining best estimates of the individual-level, the within-organization, and the organizational-level population correlations. In most validity generalization work, meta-analytic procedures have been used to provide best estimates of the within-organization correlation. However, in many other organizational domains, researchers often do not clearly specify which population parameter is of interest. Further, researchers often combine studies in which data were collected at different levels of analysis or with mixed (single- and multiple-organization) sampling schemes, making it difficult to interpret unambiguously the meta-analytic ρ. The authors focus on how to make appropriate inferences from meta-analytic studies by integrating a levels-of-analysis framework with meta-analytic techniques, highlighting how meta-analytic procedures can aid researchers in better understanding multilevel relationships among organizational constructs. The authors provide recommendations for clearer specifications of populations and levels issues in future meta-analytic studies.