Focus Groups

Abstract

When used in conjunction with employee surveys, focus groups can provide valuable qualitative data to support the employee survey process. Focus groups held prior to survey development and administration can uncover issues worthy of investigation and evaluate draft survey questions for sensitivity and readability. Post-survey focus groups can elucidate issues identified by the survey, solicit organizational members’ suggestions for resolving these issues, and gain management and employee feedback on possible programs to address identified issues. After describing how focus groups fit into the context of industrial–organizational psychology methodology, the authors outline steps for designing and conducting focus group studies and for analyzing the resulting data and reporting findings. The chapter concludes with an annotated list of additional resources for conducting focus groups.