WORK GROUP RESEARCH - PAST STRATEGIES AND FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Standard methodologies for investigating work groups are compared. Sup plementary, complementary, and hybrid research strategies are identifi ed and tradeoffs discussed. The need for conducting externally valid w ork group experiments is emphasized. Methodological shortcomings in pr evious work group experiments are cited and translated into experiment al design guidelines which incorporate 1) realistic tasks, 2) subject cohorts that are knowledgeable about and interested in the experimenta l task, and 3) the organizational context provided by academic institu tions. Together, these design guidelines constitute a previously uncha racterized experimental methodology that increases external validity, labeled the ''opportunistic experiment.'' Group projects undertaken by engineering students are identified as an ideal and largely untapped source for engineering management (and other) researchers to utilize i n their investigations of work groups.