How does situational analysis relate to grounded theory?
Let me make two points. First, the new approaches of situational analysis are intended as supplementing basic grounded theory analytic approaches, not replacing them. Most specifically, for coding of data, situational analysis relies completely on basic grounded theory procedures as laid out since 1967. This is precisely why I state that my book is an advanced text, not a basic primer. What is different is what happens after at least some basic coding. Then, the three kinds of situational maps and analyses can also be done. These maps can also be used with traditional “basic social process diagrams” from traditional grounded theory. Second, without drifting too far into epistemology, in this book I have both asked and answered the question: “How is grounded theory grounded?” I have argued that in addition to its grounding in action—in basic social processes—another grounding exists that has been ignored. This second grounding is in the situation broadly conceived, using Strauss’s s
