Module 7 essay on conflict management systems

Focus Groups

There are several key elements to conducting a focus group. The first is to gather a group. The group needs to be a representative sample so that the findings can be extrapolated to the population at large. This is a necessity in any research, and it does not change with a focus group. Greenbaum (1998) notes that "the quality of output from focus groups depends on having the right people in the room."

The second element is that the group needs to have a purpose. The focus group must have a specific objective, a specific set of questions that need to be tested. Only by understanding what the point of the exercise is will the questions be able to be structured in a manner that actually provides the answers that the company needs.

The questions are a critical element in focus group research. The questions need to effectively probe, and allow the respondents to give you the honest feedback you need. As Silverman (2015) notes, the truth can be elusive. Many respondents simply do not know why they behave the way that they do, so it is almost futile to ask questions point blank in a focus group situation. Silverman presents a variety of techniques for drawing out the truth in a focus group situation. Thus, the questions need to be expertly created, with techniques in mind for getting the truth out of respondents, even if they themselves do not know the truth.

The moderator plays a critical role in this process, and therefore the moderator is an important element in the success of a focus group. There needs to be a good working relationship between the client and the moderator, but the moderator needs to have a full understanding of what the client is looking for. The moderator needs to be trained and prepped for this, so that the moderator can accurately and effectively ask the right questions and steer the respondents in the direction of the client's objectives (Greenbaum, 1997). The best moderators bring both "objectivity and expertise" (Greenbaum, 1998).

There are many different things that could go wrong in a focus group setting. One such thing is that the research objectives are not being met. Maybe the moderator is not up to par, which presents a significant problem for the client. Ultimately, the client gains little from breaking off a focus group mid-stream, even if they are starting to lack faith in the moderator. It is better to trust the moderator and deal with the results later when the report comes in. If the group itself is unresponsive, or not providing the feedback needed, that might be more a reflection of group composition than anything else. This could necessitate re-doing the focus group with a different set of people. But the client has to be prepared to accept what feedback it receives, and to do the research over if it does not receive usable feedback. The client would do well at that point to evaluate whether it was the respondents, the questions or the moderator most likely responsible for the problems.

The client can also be the source of a problem. For example, the client could make mistakes such as prejudging respondents, or failing to accept objective results that do not align with what the client wants to hear. The client has to ensure that it removes all bias from its own interpretation in order to get the most from its focus group.