The hitchhiker’s guide to the organizational galaxy: overcoming challenges of data aggregation over time and space

The relationship between researchers and organizational data has evolved in the digital era. Despite the abundance of high-quality time-series data, consistency for comparative analysis across time periods and geographical locations remains an issue. We propose a study on cooperative historical data as a methodological blueprint to guide the analytical steps involved in comparing and aggregating organizational data across time and space, particularly when drawing from diverse sources and record-keeping environments. Bridging archival sciences and historical critique, we consider the layers of meaning acquired by data from sources’ creation to the moment these sources reach the researchers as archival records. We also consider how the research process dialectically adds a new layer of meaning linking research objectives and data interpretation across sources and investigative endeavors. We demonstrate the degree of informed pragmatism required to interpret the sources’ meanings, taking into full account their inherent limitations and the constraints imposed by the investigative process. We consequently underline the relevance of aligning standards of data collection, aggregation, and FAIR datafication related to past, present and future organizational data.