Applications of Longitudinal Research to Advance Organizational Theory: A Primer

The purpose of this article is to inform researchers about and encourage the use of longitudinal designs to further understanding of human resource development and organizational theory. This article presents information about a variety of longitudinal research designs, related statistical procedures, and an overview of general data collecting approaches, covering their strengths and weaknesses. The article also serves as a reminder of the importance of alignment between the research purpose, questions and methodology while highlighting the benefits of using multiple methods. Finally, importance of research replicability in the context of longitudinal inquiry is stressed.