Despite these drawbacks, unobtrusive data serve as a valuable adjunct to other diagnostic
measures, such as interviews and questionnaires. Archival data can be used in
preliminary diagnosis, identifying those organizational units with absenteeism, grievance,
or production problems. Then, interviews might be conducted or observations
made in those units to discover the underlying causes of the problems. Conversely,
unobtrusive data can be used to cross-check other forms of information. For example,
if questionnaires reveal that employees in a department are dissatisfied with their jobs,
company records might show whether that discontent is manifested in heightened withdrawal
behaviors, in lowered quality work, or in similar counterproductive behaviors