Catherine Cassell

Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research

Promoting New Research Practices in Organizational Research - Gillian Symon and Catherine Cassell Using Interviews in Qualitative Research - Nigel King Electronic Interviews in Organizational Research - Stephanie J Morgan and Gillian Symon Life Histories - Gill Musson Critical Incident Technique - Elizabeth Chell Repertory Grids - Catherine Cassell and Susan Walsh Cognitive Mapping in Organizational Research - Seonaidh McDonald, Kevin Daniels and Claire Harris The Twenty Statements Test - Anne Rees and Nigel Nicholson Qualitative Research Diaries - Gillian Symon Stories in Organizational Research - Yiannis Gabriel and Dorothy S Griffiths Pictorial Representation - David R Stiles Group Methods of Organizational Analysis - Chris Steyaert and Ren[ac]e Bouwen Participant Observation - David Waddington Analytic Induction - Phil Johnson Critical Research and Analysis in Organizations - Kate Mackenzie Davey and Andreas P D Liefooghe Hermeneutic Understanding - John McAuley Discourse Analysis - Penny Dick Talk-in-Interaction/Conversation Analysis - Dalvir Samra-Fredericks Attributional Coding - Jo Silvester Grounded Theory in Organizational Research - Hannakaisa L[um]ansisalmi, Jos[ac]e-Maria Peir[ac]o and Mika Kivim[um]aki Using Templates in the Thematic Analysis of Text - Nigel King Using Data Matrices - Sara Nadin and Catherine Cassell Preserving, Sharing and Reusing Data from Qualitative Research - Louise Corti, Paul Thompson and Janet Fink Methods and Strategies Historical Analysis of Company Documents - Michael Rowlinson Ethnography - John D Brewer Case Study Research - Jean Hartley Soft Systems Analysis - Susan Walsh and Chris Clegg Reflections and Update Action Research and Research Action - Frank Heller A Family of Methods Co-Research - John Bennington and Jean Hartley Insider/Outsider Teams for Organizational Research The Future Conference - Fran Ryan

Exploring human resource management practices in small and medium sized enterprises

This paper reports on empirical work recently conducted about the use and effectiveness of HRM practices in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). A telephone survey was conducted with 100 senior managers of SMEs to ascertain their use of a range of human resource practices and the extent to which they had found those practices successful in aiding the achievement of company objectives. Additionally in‐depth interviews were conducted with senior managers from a further 22 SMEs. Findings suggest that there is considerable diversity amongst SMEs in relation to their use of HR practices. A model is provided that identifies the key criteria that underlie the adoption of HRM practices, and the implications of the model are discussed.

Action research: Explaining the diversity

For nearly 70 years scholars have been discussing the characteristics of action research and it is apparent that there is an increasingly wide range of forms that action research takes in practice. Here we argue that such diversity is not haphazard and that we must be cautious about developing all-embracing standards to differentiate the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’. Rather this diversity is inspired by different philosophical stances, which usually remain tacit in published accounts thereby fuelling ambiguity and controversy about what action research should entail in practice and as to its ‘scientific’ status. The aim of this article is to explain the apparent diversity of action research in the organization studies domain, by clarifying how variable philosophical assumptions systematically lead to the constitution of distinctive forms of action research with their attendant conceptions of social science. This diversity is illustrated, with examples from the relevant literature, in terms of variation in: the aims of action research; its conception of social science; the role of the action researcher and their relations with members; the validity criteria deployed and the internal tensions that arise.

The Uses and Effectiveness of Benchmarking in SMEs

The aim of this paper is to explore current uses of benchmarking in small‐ and medium sized enterprises SMEs as well as assessing the demand for this practice. A multi‐method approach was adopted involving a telephone survey of 100 companies supplemented with in‐depth interviews with a further 22 companies generating qualitative data which explored the issues in greater detail. The most popular benchmarking indices used were financial performance, customer satisfaction and quality of products / services. Benchmarking of human resource type measures was inconsistent and piecemeal. Where benchmarking was used it was found to be very effective across all of the measures used, though low levels of interest in using benchmarking were shown by companies not already using it. Thus, whilst companies appear hesitant about using benchmarking data, where they do so, they are pleased with the results. Reasons behind this reluctance and the patterns of usage generally are explored.

Creating the interviewer: identity work in the management research process

This article examines identity dynamics in the qualitative research interview within the context of management research. It is argued that the identity of the interviewer is actively constructed through the interview process, and that the interview itself is a place where identity work takes place. Using a range of examples from the author’s own experience, the key factors that impact upon the mutual construction of identity, and the purposes of those constructions, are outlined. It is argued that identity work functions to decrease the ambiguity that surrounds the research interview.

Qualitative organizational research: core methods and current challenges

Introduction: The Context of Qualitative Organizational Research - Catherine Cassell and Gillian Symon PART ONE: THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF QUALITATIVE INQUIRY IN ORGANIZATIONS Philosophies Underpinning Qualitative Research - Joanne Duberley, Phil Johnson and Catherine Cassell Choosing Research Participants - Mark Saunders Researching Your Own Organization - Suzanne Tietze Reflexivity in Qualitative Research - Kathryn Haynes Ethical Research Practice - Robin Holt Facilitating the Interaction between Theory and Data in Qualitative Research Using CAQDAS - Rudolf R. Sinkovics and Eva A. Alfoldi Combining Qualitative Methods - Katrina Pritchard Longitudinal Research and Analysis - Ann Langley and Inger Stensaker Doing Qualitative Business and Management Research in International and Intercultural Contexts - Laurie Cohen and M.N. Ravishankar Writing up as a Legitimacy-Seeking Process: Alternative Publishing Recipes for Qualitative Research - Joep Cornelissen, Hanna Gajewska-de Mattos, Rebecca Piekkari and Catherine Welch Assessing Qualitative Research - Gillian Symon and Catherine Cassell Teaching Qualitative Research in the Business School - Mark Learmonth and Mike Humphreys PART TWO: CORE METHODS OF QUALITATIVE INQUIRY IN ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH Interviews - Mats Alvesson and Karen Ashcraft Focus Groups - Binna Kandola Participatory Visual Methods - Russ Vince and Sam Warren Participant Observation - Matthew J. Brannan and Teresa Oultram Autoethnography in Organizational Research: Two Tales of Two Cities - Michael Humphreys and Mark Learmonth Practising Organizational Ethnography - Dvora Yanow, Sierk Ybema and Merlijn van Hulst Case Studies in Organizational Research - David A. Buchanan Action Research - Julie Wolfram Cox Using Documents in Organizational Research - Bill Lee Grounded Theory: A Theory-Building Approach - Graeme J.J. Keneally Doing Template Analysis - Nigel King Conversation Analysis in Management Research - David Greatbatch and Timothy Clark Discourse Analysis and Discursive Research - Cliff Oswick Narrative Analysis - Sally Maitlis

Barriers to Managing Diversity in a UK Constabulary: The Role of Discourse

The literature on diversity management has tended to obfuscate some of the theoretical and methodological shortcomings associated with research in this area. Specifically, the literature tends to make a number of rather naive assumptions about the experiences and aspirations of disadvantaged groups. This paper seeks to problematize the universalist and partisan tendencies that typify much of the diversity literature by focusing on the issue of ‘resistance’. Using a form of discourse analysis informed by Foucauldian principles, the paper explores how ‘resistance’ to diversity initiatives is expressed by both ‘dominant’ and ‘subordinated’ groups in a UK police force. It is argued that ‘resistance’ is better thought of as a discursive resource that can be drawn upon to justify or account for one’s own organizational experiences and, in turn, the need to both justify and account for one’s experiences is located in broader discursive fields that reproduce dominant ideologies of liberal democracies. The theoretical implications of this position are discussed and a case is presented for more critical and theoretical approaches in the diversity management literature.

Epistemology and work psychology: New agendas

The aim of this paper is to examine current epistemological debates within psychology and social science generally, and to explicate their significance for the way in which work psychology research is conducted. It is argued that although there have been a number of recent critiques of the epistemological and methodological base of psychology, the research base of work psychology has come in for little such attention. The result has been a lack of reflexivity on the part of work psychologists. One potential challenge to this status quo comes from postmodernism which has had a significant impact on other areas of social science. This paper illustrates some of the key tensions and debates that result from extending these epistemological debates to the realm of work psychology. It is argued that a consideration of epistemology is important for work psychologists; and that different approaches to positivism, such as postmodernism, can provide us with different ways of examining and conducting work psychology research. The importance of epistemological reflexivity is highlighted within the paper: that is the researcher makes explicit, and critically reflects upon, the epistemological assumptions that underlie their own work. Finally, the authors assess the implications of this for work psychology research and practice generally.

The role and status of qualitative methods in management research: an empirical account

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a piece of empirical work that investigates the current role and status of qualitative research within the management field.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 45 in‐depth qualitative interviews with members of a range of different stakeholder groups, including: journal editors; qualitative researchers; Doctoral Programme Leaders; practitioners; and those who fund qualitative management research.Findings – The findings suggest that there is considerable variety in definitions of qualitative research; that there are still a number of issues surrounding the status and credibility of qualitative research within the field; and there is a need for greater access to researcher training in this area.Practical implications – The paper is of practical interest to qualitative researchers in that it details some of the issues surrounding publishing qualitative work.Originality/value – The paper presents original empirical work in this field.

A fatal attraction

Critically assesses the underpinnings and implications of the business case for the progression of women at work. Fundamentally linked to the principles of strategic HRM, the business case focuses on the business benefits that employers accrue through making the most of the skills and potential of women employees. Presents a cautiously critical analysis of the claim that the position of women at work can be furthered through a business case. Drawing on recent writings on women at work, plus case study data from the authors own research, argues that the emergence and popularity of the business case has moved the discussion about the position of women at work away from concepts such as democracy and equality to those of organizational effectiveness and competitive edges.