The Ernest Bormann Research Award, which recognizes the authors or editors of an outstanding scholarly book focusing on group communication, was presented to USC Annenberg Communication Professor Andrea Hollingshead.
Hollingshead was recognized along with Marshall Scott Poole, Professor of Communication at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as Co-Editors of the 2012 book Research Methods for Studying Groups and Teams: A Guide to Approaches, Tools, and Technologies. Hollingshead and Poole were honored with the award in the Ernest Bormann Research Award in the Group Communication division at the 99th Annual National Communication Association Convention in Washington, D.C.
“The book is about research methods for studying groups and teams,” Hollingshead said. “When we edited the book, we wanted to include a chapter about writing research methods, and tried to reach out to a diverse group of others in this area.”
Hollingshead, who has joint appointments with the Marshall School of Business and the Department of Psychology in addition to USC Annenberg, has conducted extensive research on collective intelligence and group decision making, and holds a B.A. in Psychology and M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology. She previously edited a book with her former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign colleague Marshall Scott Poole, Theories of Small Groups: Interdisciplinary Prospectives, in 2005, and is also the author of the 1994 book Groups Interacting with Technology.
“One of the interesting things about this book is that it offers a different perspective on research methods,” said Hollingshead. “To have a book that's written for people that are new to the field is important. Research methods aren't usually covered in journal articles, so it's kind of a behind-the-scenes look at group research methods. The target audience is scholars and graduate students.”
Hollingshead teaches graduate-level courses on team communication and integrated marketing communication at USC Annenberg, and plans to utilize her latest book in her group research course in the spring, as well as a Ph.D seminar and other courses in marketing, communication and advertising.
“The book is useful for Ph.D students because it teaches students how to become better researchers and gain insight,” said Hollingshead. “It will provide better insight for people to understand research methods and how involved and difficult it is to study groups.”
This volume provides an overview of the methodological issues and challenges inherent in the study of small groups from the perspective of seasoned researchers in communication, psychology and other fields in the behavioral and social sciences. It summarizes the current state of group methods in a format that is readable, insightful, and useful for both new and experienced group researchers. This collection of essays will inspire new and established researchers alike to look beyond their current methodological approaches, covering both traditional and new methods for studying groups and exploring the full range of groups in face-to-face and online settings.
The volume will be an important addition to graduate study on group research and will be a valuable reference for established group researchers, consultants and other practitioners. The essays in this volume when considered as a whole will be a contemporary interdisciplinary integration on group research methods.
