MYERS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT PARTICIPANT

Introduction QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Written Record § Fieldwork (or participant observation) is a data gathering technique for qualitative researchers § The purpose of fieldwork is to gather qualitative data about the social world by interacting with people and observing them in their ‘natural’setting Data Analysis Approach Data Collection Technique Research Method Philosophical Assumptions Participant Observation and Fieldwork 2

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Observation and participant observation § Observation is when you are watching other people from the outside as an observer § Participant observation is when you not only observe people doing things, but you participate to some extent in these activities as well § The main idea of participant observation is that you are talking with people and interacting with them in an attempt to gain an understanding of their beliefs and activities from the inside Ø Most fieldwork of a qualitative nature tends to involve participant observation rather than observation Participant Observation and Fieldwork 3

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Social situations § Spradley (1980) says that all participant observation takes place in social situations § A place is any physical setting where people are engaged in social activities, for example streets, offices, or villages can all be seen as places § People become actors when they play a role in a certain situation, for example on a bus there are passengers and a driver § Activities are recognizable patterns of behaviour that people perform, for example people might select a seat on a bus Participant Observation and Fieldwork 4

The dimensions of social situations QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT 1. Space: the physical place or places 2. Actor: the people involved 3. Activity: a set of related acts that people do 4. Object: the physical things that are present 5. Act: single actions that people do 6. Event: a set of related activities that people carry out 7. Time: the sequencing that takes place over time 8. Goal: the things people are trying to accomplish 9. Feeling: the emotions felt and expressed (Spradley, 1980: 78). Participant Observation and Fieldwork 5

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Fieldwork concepts § Gaining access § Becoming accepted § Reciprocity § Key informants § Length of fieldwork § Equipment § Field notes Participant Observation and Fieldwork 6

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Approaches to fieldwork § The British anthropological tradition – the study of a completely different culture or society for an extended period § The Chicago sociological tradition – the study of social groups in one’s own city or country Participant Observation and Fieldwork 7

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT How to conduct fieldwork Phase Description Planning You decide what you want to do, why you want to do it, what resources you need, and what research may have already been done on the same subject Collecting You gather the information, make notes and observations about the information, its character, and the collecting events Analyzing You need to index the field-collected materials for an archive, summarize them, and write them up Table 11. 1 The planning phases of fieldwork (adapted from Jackson, 1987) Participant Observation and Fieldwork 8