Methods of Business and Organizational Psychology: Observational Methods & Interaction Analysis

Content:

In the research landscape of organizational behavior (and related disciplines such as social, personality and organizational psychology), there is growing criticism of the prevailing practice of relying mainly on questionnaire methods (see e.g. Banks et al., 2023), which only indirectly capture human behavior and can be subject to strong biases. The focus on questionnaires and self-reports thus risks neglecting the complexity of human interactions, leading to a lack of deeper understanding.

To meet this challenge, the ‘Observational Methods and Interaction Analysis’ seminar is dedicated to teaching and applying systematic behavioral observation as a meaningful alternative research method for recording and analyzing relevant behavior in situ. Participants will learn the basics of scientific observation and different methods for analyzing communication situations such as team meetings or coaching sessions. A particular focus of the seminar is on application. Participants put selected methods into practice by analyzing film clips or recordings of real group interactions.
They learn not only to understand these methods, but also to critically evaluate them and apply them to answer specific questions.

In addition to the basics of behavioral observation, participants in this seminar will also learn about non-linear methods for analyzing behavioral data (e.g. lag sequential analysis, recurrence quantification analysis, cf. Lehmann, Willenbrock & Allen, 2018; Meinecke et al., 2021). These methods are particularly valuable because they can reveal complex patterns and dynamics within behavioral streams that cannot be identified using traditional linear methods.

Students learn about the Communication Analysis Tool (CAT, Klonek et al., 2022; https://cat.ctwd.com.au/) for software-supported behavioral observation and how to use it directly. Data will be analyzed using the freely available statistical software R-Studio.

The seminar takes place alongside the project seminar in the Master’s program in Socioeconomics and thus prepares the participants in implementing their accompanying projects.

References:

Banks, G. C., Woznyj, H. M., & Mansfield, C. A. (2023). Where is “behavior” in organizational behavior? A call for a revolution in leadership research and beyond. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(6), 101581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101581

Klonek, F. E., Meinecke, A. L., Hay, G., & Parker, S. K. (2020). Capturing team dynamics in the wild: The communication analysis tool. Small Group Research, 51(3), 303-341. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496420904126

Lehmann-Willenbrock, N., & Allen, J. A. (2018). Modeling temporal interaction dynamics in organizational settings. Journal of Business and Psychology, 33(3), 325-344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-017-9506-9

Meinecke, A. L., Handke, L., Mueller-Frommeyer, L. C., & Kauffeld, S. (2020). Capturing non-linear temporally embedded processes in organizations using recurrence quantification analysis. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(4), 483-500. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1658624