Sociometry: how to process the results. Sociometry: data processing and interpretation of results

There is no doubt that the productivity of the team or any other group is the key to the successful completion of the assignment. This is important even when colleagues work individually and are practically not engaged in group activities. The psychological atmosphere among employees has a huge impact on the entire work process, and the relationship will affect the overall result.

The accuracy and reliability of psychology can be argued, but such an area as group dynamics is well researched, and scientists have accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience. The most accessible, easy and intuitive way to analyze group interaction is the method of sociometric measurements. With the help of it, the position of each element of the group in the system of relationships is determined, hidden estimates, sympathies and attachments are revealed.

History of the method

The methodology (sociometry) was created and developed by the American scientist-psychologist JL Moreno. By this term he meant social science, psychological theory and an empirical method of studying a group that helps to investigate and regulate relations between people.

To date, sociology, social psychology and psychotherapy use such a method as sociometry to study and harmonize interpersonal relationships in small groups. How to handle the results - this question is asked by both psychologists and staff managers. Having opened the book with the tests, you can find a detailed description and instructions on how and what to do.

The theoretical basis of this method was the desire of the scientist JL Moreno to explain all aspects (economic, political, etc.) of a person's social life, to operate with such concepts as emotional relations between people, sympathies and antipathies. The research psychologist and his students suggested that problematic situations in society can be solved not through class distribution, but by moving people because of their emotional preferences. Thus, there will be a sociometric revolution that will make the social relations harmonious.

JL Moreno introduced into his theory such a notion as the body, and considered it rather important. This concept means the simplest emotional unit that is transferred from one person to another and thereby determines the number and quality of interpersonal relationships that individuals enter into.

General characteristic of sociometry

To obtain reliable data, not only the results of sociometry are important. First, you need to collect preliminary information about the study group. Secondly, prepare questions and conduct, in fact, the sociometric survey itself. Thirdly, it is necessary to analyze and interpret the received data during the interview. Of course, this method involves the use of other methods, such as observation and statistical processing of sociometry.

An important point to remember in the process of drawing up questions is that they should not be abstract, but concrete, reflecting some real situation. Sociometry is conducted in teams where colleagues have worked together for a long time and have sufficient information about each other. By the time characteristics - they work for about six months. The size of the study group is 12-15 people.

Participation in sociometric research is only voluntary. Preliminary discussion of the rules of behavior of respondents in psychological experiments. The answers should be honest, because they will concern the emotional side of the relationship in the team. It happens that the respondent has difficulties in completing the form or does not want to answer at all. Remember that this is his right. But even such a result is important, as the methodology (sociometry) says. How do I process the results in this case? Release from the general summary of this subject and hold an individual conversation with him to understand the reason for the refusal.

Group characteristics

The procedure of the sociometric method is not difficult at all, but it is absolutely necessary to follow the rules and norms. The basic condition is the use of personalized questionnaires, because anonymous participation will not allow subsequent interpretation of the results.

There are also some requirements for the composition of the study group. First, it must have clear boundaries (employees of a certain department, brigade, etc.), and secondly, the duration of its existence must be at least 3 months, and best of all half a year.

It will be erroneous to conduct testing after some celebration, a corporate party, because in the next two or three weeks there will be emotions associated with this event in the group, and this will distort the survey data.

There are also certain requirements for a specialist who conducts a sociometric study. He can not be a member of the team in any case, but the level of trust of the group to him should be high.

Procedure of the study

A sociometric survey is conducted in a separate room where all the subjects are gathered. The manager reads the instructions and questions, and the respondents fill out the appropriate form. The question may sound like this: "Who are you inviting for your birthday, and who do not want to see on your holiday?" The subject chooses three who are included in the group, and three who are excluded. The options "no one" and "all" are accepted. Selecting someone from the staff, the subject opposite to his name writes why he did this and the characteristics of the person (in his opinion).

The essence of the question itself can be different, because the main thing is a clear, unambiguous and simple wording. The text should correspond to the age of the members of the group, their interests and level of development. Here is the procedure for such a method as sociometry. How to process the results, you can learn more. It is very important.

Construction of the sociometric matrix

A reference to the processing of sociometrics includes a special matrix, by which is meant a table with the results of the choices made by the subjects. On the left side, the names of employees are vertically entered and exactly horizontally on top of the table.

Also, all additional information about the characteristics of the subjects is transferred to the table.

Sociogram - graphical expression of sociometric data

Of course, a global scientific goal is unlikely to be in front of a manager, so it is not necessary to count the sociometric status at all. It will be enough for the leader to deduce the general values of elections and refusals by the method "Sociometry". How to process the results in such a situation, any psychologist will tell. The sociogram is the visualized results of the survey. It is convenient, as it is possible to see schematically all the relationships in the team.

Conclusion

The presented method is simple and easy to use, does not require additional financial or other costs. He was invented in the beginning of the 20th century by JL Moreno, and to this day he enjoys special popularity in social psychology.