Purpose of field research designs Types of field studies Planning a field study Sampling plan Questionnaire design Data analysis Special concerns in field research Field Research Designs

Identify areas of concern in organization Monitor long-term trends Assess impact of program Provide info for decisions E.g., parental leave benefit plan E.g., Job satisfaction Student generated examples? Purpose of Field Research

Two-way communication channel Conduct research Aid in organizational change & dev Symbolic channel of communication Via content and conduct E.g., parental leave benefit plan E.g., promotion policy Purpose of Field Research (cont’d)

Cross-sectional Longitudinal Types of Field Studies

Cross-sectional Relation between a set of variables at one time-point Usually correlational e.g., most student projects in IRE2002Y Types of Field Studies

Longitudinal Measuring changes in variables over time Predict how changes in one variable relate to changes in another variable E.g., most prog evaluation studies Issues More cost, time & effort than cross-sectional Some can identify cause-effect relationships (i.e., not all longitudinal studies are experimental) Types of Field Studies

Longitudinal (cont’d) Issues Length of interval between measurements Depends on nature of phenomenon (e.g., training) Number of measurements Fatigue, demand characteristics, intrusiveness Participant mortality Effect of smaller sample size on power Bias created by those who drop out (self-selection) Maturation (e.g., experience v. training) Instrumentation (e.g., product quality) History (e..g, change in manufacturing material) Types of Field Studies

How? Design Why? Objectives What? Concepts Who? Respondents Planning a Field Study

How? Interview -- structured Questionnaire Paper-pencil Computerized (Saks p ) Desktop PC, , Web-based, Telephone Issues to consider Confidentiality, flexibility, time & logistics, ease of use, facilities & cost (Saks p. 82) Planning a Field Study

Why? Determine type of information needed from questionnaire Theory vs. problem-solving Conduct initial interviews w/some potential participants Planning a Field Study

Why? (cont’d) Is questionnaire needed? Organizational members are ‘over-surveyed’ Will questionnaire provide info needed? Is the sample appropriate? e.g., current vs. ex-employees to study causes of turnover Can literature review or interviews suffice? E.g., role of legislation and provision of EI benefits to account for usage of maternity leave, interviews w/employees w/children Planning a Field Study

Why? (cont’d) Is questionnaire the best way to obtain information? Will archival data, interviews, or meta analyses be better? Superficiality concerns Balance needs of in-depth understanding vs. getting representative data Planning a Field Study

Why? (cont’d) Issues to consider Ownership and access to data Feedback to different stakeholders Degree of feedback Who provides feedback Level of aggregation of results i.e., by workgroup level, supervisory unit Confidentiality (Ethics) Participant expectations Planning a Field Study

What? Translate concepts into items on questionnaire Need clear definition of concept E.g., defining leave, employment status Use existing (reliable & valid) measures E.g., see books on reserve listed in syllabus Input from users of study results Advantages vs. disadvantages to reliability, validity, credibility to users Planning a Field Study

Who? Type of participants determined by variables examined (e.g., burnout) Degree of applicability of questionnaire items to employees in different locations, functional units, levels etc. Sample size considerations Power to detect an effect Is field study an intervention? Credibility of results to employees Planning a Field Study

How? Design Why? Objectives What? Concepts Who? Respondents Planning a Field Study

Purpose of field research designs Types of field studies Planning a field study Sampling plan Questionnaire design Data analysis Special concerns in field research Field Research Designs

What is the hypothesis? What are the independent and dependent variables? What is the method used? Justify. –Is it a cross-sectional or a longitudinal study? What are the main findings? What are the mediating variables? What are the study limitations? Generosity & Productivity article