Conference Agenda

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Session Overview
Session
Method Workshop 04: Configurational Approach Using Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)
Time:
Thursday, 04/Apr/2024:
9:00am - 12:00pm

Session Chair: Prof Shubhabrata Basu, Indian Institute of Management Indore, India;
Location: MB704

Main Building, 7th floor Take either the A or C lift

The configurational approach refers to an integrative analytical technique, involving mechanisms that simultaneously and jointly considers strategy, organizational and environmental characteristics (Wiklund and Shepherd, 2005). The configurational approach is useful when: (i) The antecedent factors are not clearly discernible due, in parts, to close linkages, mutual dependencies and interconnected processes amongst the factors (Meyer et. al, 1993) and (ii) The same antecedent factors may lead to conflicting outcomes or more confoundingly when equifinality results from a combination of different organizational configurations (Meyer, et. al). Of the several available tools, the set theoretical deduction based Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) method provides several distinctive advantages. First, QCA provides inferences on facts that we don’t know from those that we do know (Thomann and Maggetti, 2020), by establishing external and internal validities and a mode of reasoning (rationale). Second, QCA provides the modus operandi through the reliance on cases (Rihoux, 2013). QCA considers a small (n=20) to intermediate (n<200) set of cases to achieve generalization (external validity) through in-depth search within the cases (internal validation) and an inductive, iterative, and exploratory mode of reasoning (establishing the rationale). Third, because QCA is iterative, it can blend in-depth qualitative induction with quantitative deductions that can be generalized via statistical techniques. Simply put, QCA can help in clustering and analyzing the underlying causal configurations of a set of cases or a set of conditions. In this context, through this workshop, we introduce the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), an analytical technique originally developed by Charles Ragin, of the Department of Sociology, University of California (Irvine). QCA is broadly divided into the traditional or Crisp Set QCA (csQCA) and the more refined fsQCA. Crisp set QCA deals with dichotomous outcomes (e.g. inclusion/exclusion) while fsQCA also includes the various shades in-between much like the interval scales of a survey instrument. So, one may simplify (but not overtly) csQCA as akin to measuring through a nominal scale and then considering what is in and what is out. Likewise, fsQCA can be perceived as measuring using an ordinal scale (e.g. Likert), where one considers the various shades between in and out and then determining the level to be considered. Through this workshop we endeavor to obtain a working exposure to the configurational approach using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis.