The What, Why and How of Meta-analysis: An Introduction

Meta-analysis has been widely employed in the organisational science literature to summarise findings from primary studies. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of meta-analysis as an analytic technique. I will introduce the basic methods of meta-analysis, steps involved in conducting a typical meta-analysis, the different assumptions underlying the procedures used to summarise results, and some common ways to probe and interpret the meta-analytic findings. I will also discuss some extension analytical methods that are based on meta-analytic findings. Finally, I will summarise the recommendations and limitations of meta-analysis.

Bio and affiliation: Chu-Hsiang (Daisy) Chang is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology of Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in industrial and organisational psychology from the University of Akron in 2005. Her research interests focus on occupational health and safety, leadership, and motivation. Specifically, she studies issues related to occupational stress, workplace violence, and how employee motivation and organisational leadership intersect with issues concerning employee health and well-being. Her work has been published in Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Psychological Bulletin, and Work & Stress.