The Naturalistic Experiment

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss ways in which quasi-naturalistic experiments can contribute to the analysis of social interaction in organizations and our understanding of practice, materiality, and technology. We focus on the contributions of two different types of naturalistic experiments that draw on audiovisual recordings. We discuss how these forms of experiment increasingly form part of a program of qualitative research and the ways in which they contribute both to organization analysis as well as more applied concerns such as the assessment of communicative practice and the design of advanced technologies.