Data Aggregation in Organizational Research: The Temporal Dimension
- 1 October 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Organization Studies
- Vol. 1 (4) , 367-377
- https://doi.org/10.1177/017084068000100404
Abstract
This article focusses on an important but often overlooked dimension of aggregation in organizational research, the temporal dimension. As more researchers begin to appreciate the dynamic quality of their subject matter, longitudinal studies will become more common. Lacking fully developed research paradigms, however, such studies are likely to encounter a number of problems. In this paper, three particular problems, the interval problem, the differential period problem, and the morphogenetic problem, are discussed in the context of two concrete studies. The kinds of issues each problem poses are identified and possible solutions are proposed.Keywords
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