18416: Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA): NCA Alone, With QCA, and With SEM

Abstract. In this workshop, you will learn about the core concepts of Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and ways to combine NCA with other popular research methods. NCA has been adopted in many fields, including International Management, Human Resource Management, Strategy, Organizational Behavior, Operations and Supply Chain Management, and Entrepreneurship. NCA understands cause-effect relations as “necessary but not sufficient” and not as additive and average logic that is used in regression analysis. “Necessary” means that an outcome will not occur without the right level of the condition, independently of the rest of the causal structure (a necessary condition is a “bottleneck”, “critical factor”, or “constraint”). NCA can be used as a stand-alone tool or in combination with regression analysis, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and other methodological approaches. By adding a different logic and data analysis approach, NCA adds both rigor and relevance to theory and data analysis. This interactive session familiarizes scholars with the method and has three parts. Part 1 is an introduction discussing the core concepts of NCA. Reflecting the increasing popularity of the method, we will emphasize the importance of minimum criteria for a correct application. Part 2 helps participants understand the possible combinations of QCA with other methods including QCA and SEM. In Part 3 we invite participants to apply the method to their own research questions.