SummaryThis article introduces sociometric badges as a research tool that captures with great accuracy fine-scale speech patterns and body movements among a group of individuals at a scale that heretofore has been impossible in groups and teams studies. Such a tool offers great potential for studying the changing ecology of team structures and new modes of collaboration. Team boundaries are blurring as members disperse across multiple cultures, convene through various media, and operate in new configurations. As the how and why of collaboration evolves, an opportunity emerges to reassess the methods used to capture these interactions and to identify new tools that might help us create synergies across existing approaches to teams research. We offer sociometric badges as a complement to existing data collection methods-one that is well-positioned to capture real-time collaboration in new forms of teams. Used as one component in a multi-method approach, sociometric badges can capture what an observer or cross-sectional survey might miss, contributing to a more accurate understanding of group dynamics in new teams. We also revisit traditional teams research to suggest how we might use these badges to tackle long-standing challenges. We conclude with three case studies demonstrating potential applications of these sociometric badges.

No abstract

​This research brief advocates for a strengths-based approach to (re)integrating formerly armed actors (FAAs) into their receiving communities. Rather than erasing their identities and experiences in armed groups, this approach recognises the value of their skills, knowledge, and supportive social connections gained in the armed group. By leveraging these strengths, policymakers and program designers can facilitate a more effective and sustainable (re)integration process. The brief highlights the potential of skills, such as technical expertise and leadership capabilities, as well as positive forms of socialisation within armed groups enabling, for instance, empowerment opportunities for female FAAs in challenging gender norms. By embracing continuity and building upon FAAs' past experiences, (re)integration efforts can foster positive impacts on individuals and their communities.

No abstract

This research brief describes the disengagement process of formerly armed actors (FAAs) from a Non-State Armed Group (NSAG) as a social network enterprise. It characterises leaving an NSAG as a relational process shaped by various nodes in a defector's network and actors at multiple societal levels such as family and community members, other FAAs, government officials, and (I)NGO professionals, varying across conflict settings and individual cases. The analysis emphasises the importance of relationships in informing individual disengagement decisions and the logistical support required for successful outcomes. It underscores the need to understand how social networks function and recommends to the institutions involved in Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) meaningful engagement with the vast range of actors implicated in this process.