Group interaction research methods

The importance of group interaction in construction projects should not be underestimated. However, observing, capturing and understanding the behaviour, dynamics and nature of even a small group's interaction is difficult. Individual behaviour, speed of interaction, sociological, psychological, organisational and environmental factors that influence the process make group research complicated. The tools used to capture and analyse group interaction must be relatively simple to use but effective. Unfortunately the growing interest in construction communication and group behaviour is not matched with developments in interaction based research methods. A problem faced by researchers is whether research tools are appropriate and will produce useable and meaningful results. The paper reviews six research methods and tests their usefulness on a group of post-graduate research students studying group interaction. Often the difficulties with using such tools are not self-evident. The practical limitations associated with each method are discussed along with their potential benefits.