QI in organizational work groups ICA ‘04
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Finally, for the sake of completeness, we will state three research questions that have been implicit in
this section. The first reflects our acknowledgement of the complexity of the relationships that hold
among the variables:
RQ 3. How will the patterns of causation differ across the four different outcome measures?
The second addresses the issue of the mediating role of process between structural factors and
outcomes.
RQ 4. Do process variables mediate the effects of structural variables on outcomes?
The third addresses the issue of whether structure or process offers a better explanation of outcomes.
RQ 5. Which panel of variables, structural or process, will better account for QI outcomes?
A general overview of the specified model is contained in Figure 1.
---Figure 1 Here---
Method
This study is part of a more comprehensive study of QI in a regional department of a southeastern state
agency that deals with such things as finding foster care for children, protecting children from harmful
abuse and providing various services for the poor. This study focused on individual members and their
formal CQI teams. Data were collected from a convenience sample of work units that varied in terms
of size, function, and part of agency to which they belonged. Since some hypotheses are meaningful
only for entire work units, while others are meaningful at the level of the individual, some analyses
were run for the sample of work units and others for the individuals within units.
In order to better understand the issues ahead of collecting survey data, pilot interviews were
conducted with four key individuals in the agency who hold the following roles: analyst, case worker
coordinator, case worker, and CQI training team member.
Pilot interviews
Data gathered in the pilot interviews revealed that the work is organized in teams and asking questions
about their team would make sense to potential survey respondents. However, they stated that many
Convention