Adaptive mixed methods research design practices to address complexity in business and management research

This chapter advances essential guidance for addressing the complexity inherent in business and management settings through the integration afforded by mixed methods research. Complexity science offers a theoretical framework for conceptualizing study phenomena and the mixed methods research process as complex adaptive systems (CAS) to generate valid insights otherwise inaccessible by qualitative or quantitative research alone. Through our description of four adaptive mixed methods research practices applied to two published studies, we demystify the ways in which researchers can adapt their study designs to the CAS studied. We highlight the theoretical and practical value of the adaptive design practices and the important implications for guiding credible mixed methods studies of CAS in business and management settings.