Qualitative#approach#to#forecasting#are#less#statistical,#attempting#to#reconcile#the#interest#

abilities#and#inspiration#of#individual#employees#with#the#current#and#future#staffing#need.
#
“Early#approach#to#research#in#industrial#organizational#psychology#was#oriented#towards#
quantitative#techniques#as#a#result#of#influences#from#the#social#sciences.#As#the#focus#of
#industrial#organizational#psychology#expands#from#psychological#test#development#to#othe
r#personnel#functions,#there#has#been#an#inclusion#of#qualitative#methods#in#industrial#org
anizations#psychology#practice.#The#present#paper#therefore#examines#how#qualitative#met
hods#like#observation,#interviews,#ethnography,#focus#group#discussion,#nominal#group#tec
hnique,#Delphi#method,#and#projective#techniques#can#be#used#by#industrial#organizational
#psychologists#in#organizational#studies.#It#is#believed#that#knowledge#gained#on#the#appli
cation#s#of#these#qualitative#methods#would#enhance#understanding#of#workers’#behaviors
#in#organizations#and#facilitate#management#decisions.#Empirical#studies#are#also#presente
d,#on#how#these#qualitative#methods#have#successfully#been#used#in#organization”
“Qualitative#data,#involve#actions#and#behaviors#that#are#observed,#not#measured.#There#
are#no#numbers#produced.#This#means#that#the#data#are#subjective.#What#data#are#
recorded#is#up#to#the#interpretation#of#the#person#who#is#recording#it.#Examples#include#
why#an#employee#stays#or#leaves#a#company,#how#a#supervisor#manages,#whether#a#retir
ement#benefit#is#worth#taking,#how#comfortable#an#office#setting#is,#and#what#value#team
work#is to success.”

“These#data#can#be#gathered#from#surveys,#interviews,#discussions,#case-
study#analyses,#and#observations.#Given#the#technology#available,#qualitative#data#can#be#
gathered#from#more#than#just#telephone#and#mail#surveys,#observations#and#other#means#
of#collecting#method.”

Example#in#the#current#business#employees#are#recruited#looking#into#their#abilities#and#t
heir#behaviors#and#their#work#performers.
#The#Vinod#Patel#company#gives#promotions#to#their#employees#observing#their#abilities#
work#performance#and#what#effort#they#put#in#towards#their#work.