2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
Research methods in management are the tools necessary to solve management problems in any company. The article presents the main approaches to the study of organization management issues.
What is research?
The very concept of "research" includes a set of actions to identify problematic issues, establish their role and place in the area under study, study and describe the relationships and patterns of changes in objects, phenomena and their properties. As well as the search and justification of solutions for using the acquired knowledge to improve the system under study or solve the problems posed in the study.
All research has a purpose. In management, research is aimed at improving the efficiency of the management system. At the same time, a variety of tasks can be set that solve the problems that have arisen in management or improve the quality of the latter.
Subject and object of study in management
All research methods in management are aimed at studying the object - the management system. What is she?
Based onmanagement is a person whose leadership qualities allow him to form around himself a network of interconnected controls that work according to established regulations. If the object of management research is the management system, then the object of management is the firm (organization). Thus, the well-being and development of the latter is also included in the object of study.
The subject of research in management is usually a contradiction or problem in the management process.
Fundamentals of research methodology in the management system
Methodology and research methods in management depend entirely on the chosen approach. The latter can be conceptual, aspect and systemic.
The same problem can have a different aspect, for example, social or economic, depending on the “perspective” of its consideration.
Concept is a broader concept and includes the development of basic provisions for research before starting the process of studying the problem.
The most popular today is a systematic approach to research. The system, as mentioned above, is a network of interconnected elements, so this approach allows the most extensive and comprehensive study of the object of study and achieve the goal. The systematic approach also involves the study of external factors, phenomena and objects that can affect the object under study. Specifying the integrity of the system also leads to a more thorough study of its internal relationships, stability, and risks.
Goal setting is one of the keyaspects of research methodology in management. Any management system needs two groups of goals - external and internal, which must be interconnected and not contradict each other.
The approach to research can also be empirical or scientific. Empirical, or experimental, is an approach that includes specific experimental tools for obtaining new knowledge.
The second approach includes methods of scientific research in management. This approach allows you to more accurately study the problems of management in an organization and choose a reasonably effective solution.
What are the methods of research in management?
There are many tools, methods, techniques, techniques for studying control systems. How to deal with such diversity? What to look out for?
The answer to all these questions each manager is looking for on their own, but the search process can be simplified by competent grouping.
Classification of research methods in management includes two main clusters: theoretical and empirical.
Theoretical methods are based on the knowledge base and logical conclusions contained in books, textbooks, monographs, articles. Empirical (experimental, pragmatic) methods operate on experiments and opinions of specialists. It is impossible to state with authority which methods are better, since they treat the same problem in different ways. Therefore, in the practice of management, as a rule, there is a synthesis of several methods andtools.
Theoretical methods
Methods for studying management problems are often based on management theory as a key scientific base.
The first group includes the method of ascent from the abstract to the concrete. He invites the researcher to go from the general to the particular, that is, based on objective knowledge, draw conclusions about solving a specific management problem.
Abstraction as a research method suggests ignoring minor elements of the management system to identify key relationships, including through business process modeling.
The group of theoretical methods cannot but include analysis and synthesis, allowing to divide (decompose) the object of study for subsequent independent study and reunification to recreate the previous design with awareness of the processes occurring inside the system.
Deduction and induction are also bright representatives of the first group, which are based on logical expressions: from the particular to the general (induction), from the general to the particular (deduction), from the particular to the particular (transduction).
Practical methods
Pragmatic methods of studying the management of organizations are often used for the initial assessment of the problem.
Observation is the most obvious of the empirical methods. Information is collected from all departments of the company involved in the management process. The main criterion is non-intervention of the researcher in the business process during the observation process.
The comparative method assumes the presence of an analogue or standard with which it will be possible to compare the indicators of the object under study.
The method of polemic (discussion) is also referred to as pragmatic. Such a reasoned discussion of the organization's management issues, as a rule, is carried out as part of the initial assessment of the current situation (a scheduled meeting with the director). Controversy can also take place between researchers.
Modeling methods
Modeling is one of the most popular theoretical methods for assessing the effectiveness of the management system and conducting research to improve it.
The model is an "image" of a real object, but not in a static state, but in a position of functioning close to the actual conditions. For modeling, one has to resort to the abstraction method, that is, to exclude non-key factors and processes from consideration. Running the model can show not only existing management problems, but also predict the impact of negative factors on the system in the future.
Expert methods
The method of expert assessments is a widely used empirical method based on the opinion of competent specialists. Despite the ease of obtaining such estimates, there are many examples of incorrect collection or interpretation of them, which leads to negative research results.
The peer review process includes several steps.
First, there arepreparatory work to gather a group of experts and prepare the necessary documents.
Then a detailed study of the problem takes place.
Research continues by developing options for solving the problem.
The implementation of a turnkey solution does not take place without the participation of experts.
As a rule, they conduct a group examination, in connection with which the process of selecting specialists is put at the forefront. To do this, it is worth deciding on the form of passing the examination: experts can discuss the problem together and issue a ready-made collective solution, or they can work autonomously and express their ideas in writing each individually.
Whatever research methods are used in management, the final document is the most important completion of all work. So in the method of examination, it is important to fill out the forms correctly and write down opinions and ideas, unmistakably highlighting the essence.
Foreign methods of management research
Research methods in management recently include such an expert method as SWOT analysis. This is a foreign practice of four-phase analysis, which includes an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the company, as well as its opportunities and external threats.
Brainstorming is often used as well. Its essence is to search for the maximum number of ideas on a given topic within one or several hours. This is also a subspecies of the expert method, but the analysis of research methods in management showed thatwhen solving creative problems, the "throw ideas in minutes" method proves to be one of the best.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that today there is a lot of literature containing a wide variety of research methods in management. A textbook or monograph on this topic will certainly be useful for choosing a research tool, but do not forget about the specifics of management systems in various organizations.
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