The art of asking threatening questions

Abstract

Managers frequently ask questions that may be sensitive or threatening. The answers that come back may be disingenuous, owing to social desirability bias which has two sub‐divisions: personality and item characteristics. The first refers to an overall tendency for an individual to respond in a desirable manner. The second depends on the particular context. It is not always obvious which questions may be perceived as sensitive or threatening. Ten measures are suggested that may assist in reducing the bias. These are reliability checks, embedding the question, adopting non‐personal interviewing methods, the use of diaries and panels, selecting an appropriate time‐frame, using open questions, contacting informants, formulating longer questions, incorporating familiar words, and loading the question.

Citation

Vinten, G. (1995), "The art of asking threatening questions", Management Decision, Vol. 33 No. 7, pp. 35-39. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251749510090566