Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies to Study Group Processes:An Illustrative Study of Acorporate Board of Directors
- 1 January 1999
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Organizational Research Methods
- Vol. 2 (1), 5-36
- https://doi.org/10.1177/109442819921002
Abstract
In this demonstration article, the authors explain procedures for combining the richness of detail that is characteristic of qualitative data collection with the hypothesis testing advantage of statistical inference techniques. Qualitative data came from a 5-year participant observation study of a corporate board of directors. Quantification of the participant observer’s qualitative field notes was achieved by using content analysis to code directors’ verbal behaviors. Based on counts of directors’ verbal behaviors, the authors tested illustrative hypotheses concerning group process within the board. Univariate (Cox-Stuart’s test of trend), bivariate (Kendall’s nonparametric correlation), and multivariate (log Poisson regression with post hoc contrasts) analyses were conducted. The study’s use of qualitative and quantitative information promoted both “discovery” (i.e., theory development) and “justification” (i.e., theory evaluation) and facilitated a “discovery-justification-discovery cycle” that was particularly useful for understanding group processes with the corporate board.Keywords
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