Data Gathering: Unobtrusive Measures

[Music] let's take a look at unobtrusive data gathering measures these data are generally readily available because they are produced

during the ordinary course of an organizational activity they can usually be granted in an inconspicuous manner manner without changing the data themselves as a result

unobtrusive measures can be highly valid sources of data historical data and archives consist of both public and non-public records these articles are less likely to be

influenced by changing perceptions and interpretations of an event over time these consist of a wide variety of documents that are often used for financial

legal or hr purposes such as job descriptions goals and objectives personnel files or meeting minutes most organizations maintain databases of

customer financial and employee records these can be useful sources of data to determine for example how many people were hired in a given year or where most customers might live

social media websites wikis online bulletin boards and review websites can illustrate past current and prospective employee and customer attitudes about the organization

an organization's physical environment can say a great deal about its culture in organizations where status and hierarchy are important elements of the culture

executives maintain large offices with expansive windows members describing the organization as one big family

or a sinking ship give great insight into how they think about their culture similarly stories serve as a teaching function organizational stories can be illuminating for a consultant

who wants to understand the organizational culture and context language such as stories and metaphors occurs naturally in organizational

disclosures but can be elicited during interviews or focus groups as well an interview may be asked to tell a

story that would give a newcomer an insight into the organization you