Communicating sensitive business issues: Part 2

This is the second of a two-part article reporting the results of a study which investigated communication and relationships in the workplaces of four large organizations in Northern Ireland, two in the public sector and two in the private. A central purpose of the research was to evaluate suitable methods for auditing relationships among staff. Based on a review of the apposite literature on organizational and relational communication, the most promising techniques finally selected were the focus group approach, retrospective interview technique, social network analysis, and critical incident technique. In Part 1 the first two of these techniques were evaluated. Now, in Part 2 social network analysis and critical incident technique are similarly examined, in terms of their potential to generate quality data on the types of association that typify those who share a work environment. In a final conclusion to the two-part article, recommendations for using qualitative and quantitative methods for auditing internal relationships are also offered.