Methodological Innovations for Studying Organizations.
Abstract
Conducting research on complex organizations is a complex task. Social scientists studying organizations are faced with a number of specific challenges in carrying out high quality research. They include: Collecting and then sharing qualitative data in ways that fit into a wider body of knowledge; Phrasing research questions in ways more dictated by the significance of the issue, less by what other researchers are doing; Picking strategies (such as a field experiment or survey methodology) on bases other than expediency or familiarity; Making sense of patterns of results from a diverse set of studies conducted; Designing and executing research to increase the chances that the finding will actually be used by decision makers in organizations; and Using new, powerful quantitative analytic techniques appropriately. These methodological issues were addressed by a group of eighteen social scientists over a two-year period. This brochure describes the results of this effort and tells how to obtain the materials that have been created. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA113284
Entities
Organizations
- American Psychological Association