Advancing methods.

Small groups are complex. Researchers must therefore use methods that disentangle this complexity. In quantitative study design, this means that it is often necessary to sample intact real-life groups that include the features we come to expect, and at times using approaches like multilevel modeling or social network analysis. We also study groups through qualitative interviews, and use strategies that capture vivid representations.

We are especially excited about social network analysis. Network studies that we conduct ask members to complete sociometric items, such as nominating teammates with whom they are closest. We then construct networks that represent all ties among members.

The picture on this page is from one organization where we asked participants to nominate coworkers whom they looked toward for mentorship or support. We identified ‘communities’ of people who nominated one-another, which identified (for our partner) how one community of newcomer members were focused mainly on developing relationships with others in their cohorts and were less-closely linked to key/senior members.