Examining the Impact and Detection of the "Urban Legend" of Common Method Bias

Abstract

Common Method Bias (CMB) represents one of the most frequently cited concerns among Information System (IS) and social science researchers. Despite the broad number of commentaries lamenting the importance of CMB, most empirical studies have relied upon Monte Carlo simulations, assuming that all of the sources of bias are homogenous in their impact. Comparatively analyzing field-based data, we address the following questions: (1) What is the impact of different sources of CMB on measurement and structural models? (2) Do the most commonly utilized approaches for detecting CMB produce similar estimates? Our results provide empirical evidence that the sources of CMB have differential impacts on measurement and structural models, and that many of the detection techniques commonly utilized within the IS field demonstrate inconsistent accuracy in discerning these differences.