How do I do research?
Let’s dive into an example with an explanation!
Research Questions:
What kinds of team-building exercises help globalized teams work more productively together? Do these exercises contribute to employee satisfaction?
In order to have a more reliable research process, you will most likely use both qualitative and quantitative methods of collecting data for this specific question.
First:
Keep in mind which research method you would want to use first in data gathering (qualitative, quantitative). Since this is a more qualitative based question that could be supported by quantitative data, we would try to use the Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method.
To begin with the qualitative side of research- you are wanting to know how to build effective team exercises. What would best allow you to understand team interactions in the workplace? Interviewing. You should interview multiple teams, as collecting a variety of teams and responses would give you more validity in your data collection and analysis. So, how do you conduct an interview?
Second:
Follow the interview protocols: Receive consent from the companies and people you are interested in researching. Identify possible biases you may have about team-building exercises and others’ biases, and make a list. With these biases in mind, try to create interview questions that would clearly gather data about experiences with teams’ working one with another in the company. We covered the other do and don’ts of interviewing previously in our unit, so I would go back and check the “collecting data” table and make sure you check off all of the requirements. It is also important to note where you interview. Is it private? Is it safe? Participants need to feel comfortable and that they can trust you. Privacy in the location would provide more accuracy in the answers you receive about team members’ experiences.
Third:
After you have collected your interviews, you can use your findings to provide the framework for your quantitative research. Choose a sample size to derive a statistical analysis from your population. According to the different stages of sampling, clustering would best fit. A cluster refers to a group of people with a common characteristic (being in the same team for a company) and when you choose to sample them, you sample all involved in that same team/group, or in other words, cluster. This would work best for your data, as randomly selecting individuals or doing a systematic sample would not encompass all the subjects that would make a team.
Fourth:
Next, you need to identify how you will measure your data and what instruments could be used. If you were sampling with statistics, most likely you will use some sort of a calculator. This needs to be verified as viable by comparing this calculator’s results to other calculators to make sure it is similar and correct. Now from collecting your statistical data, you need to identify your variables. What is the Independent Variable? Dependent Variable? Constants? What could affect these variables? For example, let’s say you took a cluster sample from your data (a group of people in a team) and compared each of their satisfaction results. The group of people would be the independent variable(x), and the satisfaction results would be the dependent variable (y). Identifying these variables can help guide you in your process of interpreting and gathering data for your research. This is only the basic base of your research design, hopefully, unit three has given you a framework to perform and collect data.
Finish:
After gathering all your data, you’re ready to go to the next step of analyzing and concluding your results. We hope you succeed in the process of your research!
End..!
If you have questions, you will need to email me at hvaandres@icloud.com. Please take a look at my website, repl, twitter, Github, Spanish Medium Account, and LinkedIn.
