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Dr.

Mushtaq Ahmad KLASRA

Managers constantly engage themselves in studying and

analyzing issues and make decisions.


Sometimes managers make good decisions and problems

get solved; and sometimes they make blunders organizations get stuck.

and

Difference between making good decision and making

blinders depends on how managers go about decision making process.

Good decision making provides Yes answer to the

following questions. Do managers identify where the exactly the problem lies? Do they correctly recognize the relevant situational factors? Do they know the type of information needed and how? Do they know how to make use of the information and draw conclusions to make right decision?

Do they know how to implement the results of solve

problem? WHAT IS RESEARCH? Many definitions..!!!!!


It is a process of finding solutions to a problem after a

thorough study and analysis of situational factors. It is a systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem encountered in work setting.

It

is an organized, systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific problem undertaken with the purpose of finding answers or solutions to it
COMMONLY RESEARCHED AREAS/ISSUES

Employee behaviors such as performance,

absenteeism and turnover. Organizational outcomes, such as increased sales, market share, profit growth etc.

Ch. 1 (Contd)
TYPES OF RESEARCH Applied Research: A kind of research done with intention of

applying the results of findings to solve a specific problem currently being experienced in an organization, i.e. sale of particular product has decreased, Absenteeism of employees etc. Basic or Fundamental or pure Research: A research done to generate a body of knowledge, or enhance the understanding of certain problems that commonly occur in the organization

Chapter 2

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

Definition of Scientific Research

Scientific Research focusing on solving problems and pursues a step by step logical, organized and rigorous method to identif y the problems, gather data, analyze them and draw valid conclusions there from.

The Hallmarks of Scientific Research The hallmarks or main distinguishing


characteristics of scientific research may be listed as follows:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Purposiveness Rigor Testability Replicability Precision and Confidence Objectivity Generalizability Parsimony

Hallmarks of Scientific Research


1. Purposiveness

It has to start with a definite aim or purpose. The focus is on increasing employee commitment. Increase employee commitment will translate into less turnover, less absenteeism and increased performance levels. Thus it has a purposive focus.

2. Rigor

A good theoretical base and sound methodological

design would add rigor to the purposive study. Rigor adds carefulness and the degree of exactitude in research. Example: A manager asks 10-12 employees how to increase the level of commitment. If solely on the basis of their responses the manager reaches several conclusions on how employee commitment can be increases, the whole approach to the investigation would be unscientific. It would lack rigor for the following reasons:

1. 2. 3.

Based on few employees Bias and incorrectness There might be other influences on commitment which are ignored and are important for a researcher to know Thus, Rigorous involves good theoretical base and thought out methodology. These factors enable the researcher to collect the right kind of information from an appropriate sample with the minimum degree of bias and facilitate suitable analysis of the data gathered. This supports the other six too.

3. Testability
After random selection manager and researcher develops certain hypothesis on how manager employee commitment can be enhanced, then these can be tested by applying certain statistical tests to the data collected for the purpose.
The researcher might hypothesize that those employees who perceive greater opportunities for participation in decision making would have a higher level of commitment.

4. Replicability
It means that it can be used again if similar circumstances prevails. Example: The study concludes that participation in decision making is one of the most important factors that influences the commitment, we will place more faith and credence in these finding and apply in similar situations. To the extent that this does happen, we will gain confidence in the scientific nature of our research.

5. Precision

and Confidence

Precision
Precision refers to the closeness of the findings to

reality based on a sample. It reflects the degree of accuracy and exactitude of the results of the sample.

Example: If a supervisor estimated the number of production days lost during the year due to absenteeism at between 30 and 40, as against the actual of 35, the precision of my estimation more favorably than if he has indicated that the loss of production days was somewhere between 20 and 50.

Confidence
Confidence

refers to the probability that our estimations are correct. That is, it is not merely enough to be precise, but it is also important that we can confidently claim that 95% of the time our results would be true and there is only a 5% chance of our being wrong. This is also known as confidence level.

6. Objectivity
The conclusions drawn through the interpretation of the results of data analysis should be objective; that is, they should be based on the facts of the findings derived from actual data, and not on our subjective or emotional values.
Example: If we had a hypothesis that stated that greater participation in decision making will increase organizational commitment and this was not supported by the results, it makes no sense if the researcher continues to argue that increased opportunities for employee participation would still help!

7. Generalizability
It refers to the scope of applicability of the research findings in one organization setting to other settings.

Example: If a researchers findings that participation in


decision making enhances organizational commitment are found to be true in a variety of manufacturing, industrial and service organizations, and not merely in the particular organization studied by the researcher, then the generalizability of the findings to other organizational settings in enhanced. The more generalizable the research, the greater its usefulness and value.

8.Simplicity in explaining Parsimony

the phenomenon or problems that occur, and in generating solutions for the problems, is always preferred to complex research frameworks that consider an unmanageable number of factors.

For instance, if 2-3 specific variables in the work situation are identified, which when changed would raise the organizational commitment of the employees by 45%, that would be more useful be more useful and valuable to the manager than if it were recommended that he should change 10 different variables to increase organizational commitment by 48%.

The Building Blocks of Science in Research

Deduction and Inductions


Answers to issues can be found either by the process of induction or the process of induction, or by a combination of the two.

Deduction
Deduction is the process by which we arrive at a

reasoned conclusion by logical generalization of a known fact.

Example: we know that all high performers are highly proficient in their jobs. If John is a high performer, we then conclude that he is highly proficient in his job

Induction

Induction is a process where we observe certain

phenomena and on this basis arrive at conclusions.

In other words, in induction we logically establish a general proposition based on observed facts.

The Hypothetico-Deductive Method (Research Process)

Hypothetic-deductive method can be discussed into two distinct aspects; (i). Research Process: It is a process of developing the conceptual framework and hypothesis for testing.

(ii). Research Design: It involves the planning of actual study, the selection of he sample and collection and analysis of the data.

RESEARCH PROCESS
1. Observation ( Broad Area of Research interest identified) 2. Preliminary data Gathering (Interviewing Literature Survey)

3. Problem definition (research problem identified) 4. Theoretical Framework (Variables clearly identified and labled)
5. Generation of Hypotheses

6. Scientific research Design


7. Data collection, Analysis and Interpretation 8. Deduction (Is Hypothesis substantiated?
If YES proceed to steps 9 to 11 otherwise repeat process from step 2

9. Report writing 10. Report presentation 11. Managerial decision making

RESEARCH PROCES (Contd)


Remember
First five (5) steps in above flow chart define the

Research process and steps six (6) and seven (7) embody research design.

Observation (Broad Problem Area)


1. Observation is the first stage, in which

one senses that certain changes are occurring or that some new behaviors, attitudes and feelings are surfacing in ones environment (i.e., the work place). How does one observe phenomena and changes in the environment? This area refers to entire situation where one sees a possible need for research and problem solving.

Research where manager (Cont..)there is a room for process believes that Those areas

improvement. Problems could be currently existing or potential one that may occur in future. Examples: Inventory control is not effective. Minority group members in organizations are not advancing in their careers. Training programs are not as effective as anticipated. Sales Volume of company product is not picking up.

2. Preliminary Data Collection (Interviewing and Literature Survey)


It is a comprehensive review of published and unpublished work

from secondary sourcesof data in the areas of interest. This could be done by talking informally to several people in the work setting or to clients or to other relevant sources, thereby gathering information on what is happening and why. (Unstructured interviews) Then it is followed by structured interviews. Additionally by doing library research or obtaining information through other sources, the investigator would identify how such issues have been tackled in other situations.

At this stage information required can be classified as: (i): Background Information: (a) origin and history of the company, (b). Size in terms of employees, assets or both . Resources-Human and others

Research process contd..


(ii). Information on structural factors; Like company policies, Extent of specialization, Reward system, etc (iii). Perception, Attitudes and Behavioral Responses; Employees perception of the work, work environment, Workflow interdependencies, opportunities for advancement, Organizations attitudes toward employees family responsibilities, etc

Research process contd..


2.(a). Literature Survey: It is a comprehensive review of the published and unpublished work from secondary source of data interest. Why we do Literature Survey? (i). To ensure that no important variable has been ignored, (ii). to avoid repetition in investigating an issue (avoid waste of resources)

Research process contd..


Conducting Literature Survey: Two steps: 1. Identify the various published and unpublished materials that are available on the topics of interest. 2. Gathering the relevant information Three forms of databases: (i). Bibliographic databases, Displays name of author, title of article (book), publication source, year, volume and page number

Research process contd..


(ii). Abstract Databases: It also provides an abstract or summary of the articles. (iii). Full-Text Databases: It provides the full text of the article.

3. Problem Definition:

after interview and literature survey Researcher narrows down the problem. Problem definition or problem statement is a clear and precise statement of the question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution.

Research process contd..


Examples of Problem statement or definition How has new packaging affected the sales of the product? What are the effects of downsizing on the growth pattern of companies? Can cultural differences account for the differences in the nature of relationships between superiors and subordinates in different countries

Research process contd..


Example: Employee Loyalty Companies benefit through employee loyalty. Crude downsizing in organizations during the recession crushed the loyalty of millions. The economic benefits of loyalty embrace lower recruitment and training costs, higher productivity of workers, customer satisfaction, and the boost to morale of fresh recruits. In order that these benefits are not lost, some companies while downsizing try various gimmicks.

Research process contd..


Flex leave, for example, is one. This helps employees

receive 20% of their salary, plus employer provided benefits, while they take a 6 to 12 month sabbatical, with a call option on their services. Question: How would you define the problem in the above case? Or what is the problem statement in this situation?

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