As reviewers for a variety of journals, the authors
have noted three specific weaknesses in the data analysis
section of case research paper submissions: the
inability to extract significant patterns, the inability
to simplify from descriptive information and the inability
to think laterally. A useful technique to see
order from chaos involves structuring the data in a
variety of patterns. Much like the process of identifying
potential work cells for the application of group
technology, patterns may become more obvious if the
order in which the case data are arrayed is varied. For
example, if the researcher arrays all of the successful
sites together and all the unsuccessful sites together,
the commonalities within each of these groups may be
more discernible. Reordering the data based on size of
operating facility may then provide a fresh alternative
perspective that might be even more revealing