Blending Words & Numbers: Towards a Framework for Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Strategies for Organizational Research

Blending qualitative and quantitative research methods is widely propagatedas a strategy for both quality control and enrichment of organizationresearch. This has been recognized in the organization literature for morethan twenty years. However, during the last decade the progress in thepractice of research has not been altogether impressive. Ambiguity is one ofthe key problems in this respect. This paper tries to clarify the discussion onblended methods, by (1) clarifying concepts used to describe blendeddesign, (2) inventoririzing and categorizing the different forms and objectivesof blended design, and (3) developing a provisional framework. The studydeparts from the research practice, the sequences of action in concretestudies. The focus is on research as a process, rather than on specificmethods. Finally, the paper suggest some directions for a developmentprogram for blending methods.