Research Design

Question 1

What is Qualitative Evidence?

Answer 1

A collection of rich facts mediated by language and verbal description.

Question 2

What is context?

Answer 2

A unique configuration of actors and conditions that are not easily compared with one another.

Question 3

What is Qualitative Research?

Answer 3

• Research Approach
• Deals with organisational events that cannot be explained by statistically-based techniques
• The events studied are rare, irregular, complex (not formalisable) or undocumented
• Focus is on small numbers
• It uses qualitative evidence
• It gives primacy to context

Question 4

Why doing Qualitative Research in Management?

Answer 4

• Qualitative methods allow us to consider CONTEXTUAL DIMENSIONS: they help us understand specific issues in particular organisational settings.
• They help us MAKING SENSE of what is going on and why people act in specific ways.

Question 5

Example: Mystery Shopping

Answer 5

• Van der Wiele et al., 2005.
• Describes a case of Mystery Shopping, the activity of hiring well-trained employees to behave as normal customers while observing and assessing the service provided by employees.
• The study has limitations:
  • The checklist does not allow for emergence of new aspects that are important for customers.
  • Quantification of aspects is problematic as it narrows their meaning.
• An interpretive approach would assume that we all experience differently, and would be interested in disclosing different views from different customers.

Question 6

Why is it important to know the assumptions underpinning research?

Answer 6

Ontological and epistemological assumptions will shape the formulation of the research questions, and thus the research design.

Question 7

What is Ontology?

Answer 7

Ontology is the branch of Philosophy concerned with the nature of existence and reality:

1- Objectivism: Social phenomena and their meanings exist independently of social actors
2- Constructionism: Social phenomena and their meanings are socially constructed and in constant change

Question 8

What is Objectivism?

Answer 8

• Ontological position
• Considers that social phenomena and their meanings exist independently of social actors
• An organisation would be seen as a tangible object that exerts pressure on individuals

Question 9

What is Constructionism?

Answer 9

• Ontological position
• Considers that social phenomena and their meanings are socially constructed and in constant change
• Masculinity and Innovation are social constructions
• An organisation would be seen as a negotiated order

Question 10

What is Epistemology?

Answer 10

The branch of Philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge:

• Positivism is an objectivist position
• Interpretivism stems from Constructionism
• Critical Inquiry is a distinct paradigm from Interpretivism

Question 11

What is Positivism?

Answer 11

• Epistemology Approach
• Objectivist position
• Aims to discover rather than construct meaning
• Assumes that reality is objectively given and can be described by measurable properties, which are independent of the observer and his or her instruments
• It generally attempts to test theories, to increase the predictive understanding of phenomena

Question 12

What is Interpretivism?

Answer 12

• Epistemology Approach
• Constructionist position.
• Argues that access to reality only happens through SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS such as language, consciousness, shared meanings…
• Tries to understand the MEANINGS that people assign to phenomena, in a specific context.
• MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS are possible: researchers are as much interpreters of the social situation as the people being studied.

Question 13

What is Critical Inquiry?

Answer 13

• Epistemology Approach
• Distinct paradigm from Interpretivism.
• Social reality is historically and socially constituted.
• People are subject to various forms of social, cultural and political domination. Therefore, not all interpretations are given equal weight.
• Aims to be a social critique, challenging prevailing beliefs, values and assumptions.

Question 14

Seminar Reading: Foster (2012) on Social Constructionism

Answer 14

• Some practitioners have used the ideas of Social Constuctionism to guide interventions in practice.
• Some of the strength of the approach described might be encouraging mutual understanding, a sense of community, and valuing the participation of all employees when defining goals.
• However, this might be a resource-intensive approach. Its worthiness depends on what we are trying to achieve.

Question 15

Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research

Answer 15

• Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated
• Honesty: be honest about your data, findings, and research methods
• Plagiarism: all sources must be properly acknowledged
• Informed consent: informants need to be able to freely give their consent to participate, and they can stop their involvement at any time (not possible for every data collection techniques)
• Permission to publish: permission should be asked for the use of owned material
• Confidentiality: should be maintained when asked by informants

Question 16

What is Research Design?

Answer 16

• The PLAN for an entire qualitative research project.
• It involves DECIDING upon all the VARIOUS COMPONENTS of a research project: philosophical assumptions, research methods…

Question 17

What is the “Model of Qualitative Research Design”?

Answer 17

1 - PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS

• They are assumptions about the nature of the world (Ontology) and how knowledge can be obtained (Epistemology).
• These foundations provide the basis for everything that follows , and need to be explicit.

2- RESEARCH METHODS

• Ways to obtain empirical data.
• 4 main Research Methods are Action Research, Case Study Research, Ethnography, and Grounded Theory.
• The factors enabling to choose a Research Method include:
  
  • The fit with the Research Question
  • The desired type of results
  • The skills required by this method
  • The unit of analysis: individual, event, service, relationship, industry, organisation…

3- DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE

• The 3 main ones are Interviews, Fieldwork, and Documents.
• They can be used singly or combined.
• The technique(s) should enable to collect all the information needed to answer the Research Question.

4- DATA ANALYSIS APPROACH

• Researchers need to have a plan to analyse the large quantity of data collected.
• 3 of the most commonly used approaches are Hermeneutics, Semiotics, and Narrative Analysis.
• Data Collection and Analysis often proceed in an iterative manner.

5- WRITTEN RECORD

• This is the choice of the publishing format (article, book…) and the writing style used.
• Writing up is as important as the research itself, because it is what is seen by readers.

Question 18

What are the logical practical steps preceding the ‘Model of Qualitative Research Design”?

Answer 18

1 - CHOICE OF A TOPIC

• It must be interesting for the team.
• A faculty member must be willing to supervise the team on this topic.
• The team must be able to obtain relevant qualitative data on this topic.

2- CHOICE OF A RESEARCH QUESTION

• It should be relevant to the particular issue of concern.
• It can be improved by making sure to cite all top journals of the discipline in the literature review.

3- CHOICE OF A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

• It has to fit the Research Problem.
• The research can be Theory-Building or Theory-Testing. This leads to a decision between Inductive and Deductive Reasoning.