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Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management

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Abstract

Selecting the appropriate method for a given research question is an essential skill for organizational researchers. High-quality research involves a good fit between the methods used and the nature of the contribution to the literature. This article describes a contingency framework that relates the state of prior theory and research to the design of a current research project, paying particular attention to when to mix qualitative and quantitative data. Whereas contributions to mature literatures are best made with quantitative methods, and contribute to nascent literature’s call for qualitative data, intermediate research is best served by a mix of both approaches.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy C. Edmondson

  2. Harvard University, Business School, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Tiona Zuzul

Authors
  1. Amy C. Edmondson
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  2. Tiona Zuzul
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy C. Edmondson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. GSBPP, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA

    Mie Augier

  2. Berkeley Research Group, LLC, Emeryville, CA, USA

    David J. Teece

  3. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    David J. Teece

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature

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Edmondson, A.C., Zuzul, T. (2018). Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. In: Augier, M., Teece, D.J. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-00772-8_562

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