The Data and Measurement Issue - 26

As the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
eloquently puts it,
by Ramsey Ford
One useful approach leaders can use to
understand relationships between
policies, employee behaviors, and
employee outcomes is quantitative
analysis-including analyzing relationships
between cultural indicators and key
performance indicators.
Imagine an organization
as a living entity, shaped
by the beliefs and
behaviors of its members.
These beliefs and
behaviors constitute
organizational culture and
exert a profound influence
on an organization's
performance, employee
satisfaction, and
overall success.
While these insights are invaluable,
qualitative research can provide rich,
nuanced perspectives that underpin
those causal relationships, allowing
you to discover the values, drivers, and
perspectives that influence behavior
and build culture. Qualitative research
explores complexity by delving into the
richness and depth of experiences,
perceptions, and meanings that people
assign to their interactions with the
world around them. This research
methodology is rooted in the belief that
context and individual interpretation are
essential components of understanding
complex social phenomenon1
organizational culture.
-like
" It is impossible to engage
properly with a people or
place without engaging in
all of the stories of that
person or place. "
Quantitative research, with its focus on
statistics, tells us " what " or " how much "
and, by itself, tells a singular (and often
incomplete) story of relationships or
cause and effect.2
While this information
is essential for understanding culture
change, weaving it together with
qualitative and empathic methods
enables us to sense the intersection of
many stories and begin to understand
" why " and " how. "
Consider this scenario: A manufacturing
company aims to foster a culture of
diversity and inclusion. A quantitative
survey might indicate the company's
diversity policies are well received.
However, in-depth interviews reveal that
employees from marginalized
backgrounds still feel isolated due to
subtle microaggressions or a lack of
representation in decision-making
processes. This qualitative insight goes
below the surface and offers a more
comprehensive understanding of the
challenges that specific people or groups
face, as well as providing a foundation for
developing more meaningful solutions.
1 " Peer Researchers Amplify Community Voice, "
Design Impact, 2016
The Data and Measurement Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Data and Measurement Issue
