SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SMALL-GROUP RESEARCH AND GROUP WORK AT THE FIRM

In their contribution Windel and Zimolong compare field studies in in- company group research with social psychological laboratory findings a nd discuss the usefulness of the two research approaches for the imple mentation of in-company group research. In doing so they criticise the missing practical relevance of social psychological small group resea rch, particularly in terms of external validity, focus on main effects and the selection of the independent variables. This article claims t hat this criticism is irrelevant if the independence of the two resear ch approaches with their different points of departure, methods and ai ms is accepted. The demand for the practical usefulness of in-company group work for basic research in social psychology must be rejected, a lthough there is necessarily a need for cooperation for purposes of mu tual animation.