The characteristics of a hypothesis in management research

There are a number of considerations to keep in mind when constructing a hypothesis, as they are important for valid verification. The wording of a hypothesis therefore must have certain attributes that make it easier for you to ascertain its validity. These attributes are:

A hypothesis should be simple, specific and conceptually clear. There is no place for ambiguity in the construction of a hypothesis, as ambiguity will make the verification of your hypothesis almost impossible. It should be ‘unidimensional’ – that is, it should test only one relationship or hunch at a time. To be able to develop a good hypothesis you must be familiar with the subject area (the literature review is of immense help). The more insight you have into a problem, the easier it is to construct a hypothesis. For example:

The average age of the male students in this class is higher than that of the female students.

The above hypothesis is clear, specific and easy to test. It tells you what you are attempting to compare (average age of this class), which population groups are being compared (female and male students), and what you want to establish (higher average age of the male students).

Let us take another example:

Suicide rates vary inversely with social cohesion. (Black & Champion 1976: 126)

This hypothesis is clear and specific, but a lot more difficult to test. There are three aspects of this hypothesis: ‘suicide rates’; ‘vary inversely’, which stipulates the direction of the rela­tionship; and ‘social cohesion’. To find out the suicide rates and to establish whether the relationship is inverse or otherwise are comparatively easy, but to ascertain social cohesion is a lot more difficult. What determines social cohesion? How can it be measured? This problem makes it more difficult to test this hypothesis.

• A hypothesis should be capable of verification. Methods and techniques must be available for data collection and analysis. There is no point in formulating a hypothesis if it cannot be subjected to verification because there are no techniques to verify it. However, this does not nec­essarily mean that you should not formulate a hypothesis for which there are no methods of veri­fication. You might, in the process of doing your research, develop new techniques to verify it.
• A hypothesis should be related to the existing body of knowledge. It is important that your hypothesis emerges from the existing body of knowledge, and that it adds to it, as this is an important function of research. This can only be achieved if the hypothesis has its roots in the existing body of knowledge.
• A hypothesis should be operationalisable. This means that it can be expressed in terms that can be measured. If it cannot be measured, it cannot be tested and, hence, no conclusions can be drawn.

Source: Kumar Ranjit (2012), Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners, SAGE Publications Ltd; Third edition.