Revival of the Alternative Bivariate Model of Self-Monitoring

Management researchers are increasingly interested in the construct of self-monitoring (Snyder, 1974). For 40 years, the conventional univariate model of self-monitoring has reigned as the dominant interpretative paradigm in the psychological and management literatures. However, recent findings associated with an alternative bivariate model challenge foundational assumptions and practices of the conventional model. This paper reviews the two competing perspectives on self-monitoring, and presents four major pieces of validity evidence in support of the alternative model. Specifically, 1) the latent structure of self-monitoring is not categorical, but dimensional--specifically, bi-dimensional; 2) when examined separately, these two dimensions, labeled acquisitive and protective self-monitoring, are not outside the Five Factor Model of personality traits, but rather located above it, at the level of the metatraits; 3) the predictive variance for organizational criteria is not attributable to self-monitoring, per se, but largely to the acquisitive self-monitoring dimension; and 4) IRT-based scale abbreviations of the two self-monitoring dimensions are available, and provide concise, yet highly informative, alternatives for researchers seeking measures of more economical length. Based on these findings, management scholars are urged to adopt the alternative bivariate model. Implications for measurement, fresh theory, and recommendations for future self-monitoring research are provided.