Using multi- and mixed methods research designs

This chapter outlines the nature of multi- and mixed methods designs, demystifying the various names used to describe such designs and considering their pluralistic nature and philosophical underpinnings. Following a brief consideration of the prevalence of multi-method and mixed methods in Employment Relations (ER) research, deductive and inductive approaches are discussed. Examples of published ER research are used to illustrate multi-method qualitative and quantitative, concurrent triangulation and concurrent embedded mixed methods, as well as sequential exploratory and sequential explanatory mixed methods designs. These, and a vignette, highlight their potential for enabling new insights, revealing how such mixed methods designs have been operationalised. Potential benefits, challenges and pitfalls of using mixed methods, including the need for methodological fit, are considered. The chapter concludes by summarising different ways of combining methods, and a discussion emphasising key issues and implications for ER researchers.