Qualitative Approaches

Strategies in Qualitative Research

The most common strategies employed in qualitative research are case studies, ethnography, grounded [Page 1340]theory, participatory action research, and clinical models. The case study is perhaps the most popular model. In organization studies, it usually involves an in-depth description and interpretation of an event or series of events that occurs in an organization over a particular time period. Multiple methods are typically employed to collect data for case studies, including field notes, interviews, focus groups, observations, conversation analysis, document analysis, and others. Ethnography aims to capture people and their everyday lives. The purpose is for the researchers to provide representations of human social behavior by becoming a part of the group being studied—to embed themselves in the social environment. Grounded theory is similar to ethnography, in that it consists of collecting data through field study. However, grounded theory researchers attempt to begin their research with no a priori theory in mind. Data gathered using interviews, observations, and other methods are analyzed for recurring themes and patterns; these give rise to theory that explains the actions of the people being studied. Participatory action research and clinical models are related disciplines in qualitative research. Unlike other qualitative methods, they involve researchers not only embedding themselves in the research environment, but also actively influencing the settings—that is, changing the nature of the setting. Participatory action research differs from clinical models by being more attuned to social change scenarios; clinical models are concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of individuals. Despite the obvious practical value of action research and clinical models to practitioners, quantitative researchers would argue that the theory generated from such approaches is problematic because the researcher actively changes the setting as the data are collected. However, others argue that such approaches adopt a meta-theory orientation, because the theory that emerges has more to do with how organization members theorize than it does with the generation of abstract theory.

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