Authors : Wasita Boonsathorn and Arthur L. Dryver
Abstract: In the workplace, many statistical tests behind quantitative research examine averages. What happens when one of these averages is not satisfactory to management? How do management shift an average to improve their workforce so that the typical employee more closely resembles the star employee? Often in quantitative research outliers such as star employees are omitted and even when they are left in the data set they are hidden amongst the typical employees. The lack of explicit consideration of outlying star employees is coupled with the challenge of obtaining an adequate sample size of them. This study discusses the importance of studying outliers such as star employees for improving the workforce and the importance of qualitative research for doing so.
Wasita Boonsathorn and Arthur L. Dryver, 2017. When Qualitative Research Trumps Quantitative Research: How to Improve the Workforce. The Social Sciences, 12: 2290-2292.