Edited by Françoise CHEVALIER, L. Martin CLOUTIER and Nathalie MITEV

Qualitative Research

Voices in Management Sciences

Business Science Institute collection

Directed by

Pr Paul Beaulieu, ESG UQAM

Pr Michel Kalika, Business Science Institute and iaelyon School of Management

Pr émérite Alain-Charles Martinet, iaelyon School of Management

© Editions EMS, 2022

www.editions-ems.fr

ISBN 978-2-37687-557-4

(ebook)

Table des matières

List of Editors and Contributors

The Editors

The Authors

Acknowledgements

Preface

CHAPTER 1. The advent and growth of qualitative research in management sciences

A Pathway

Differences between qualitative research and quantitative research

Diversity of qualitative methods

Idiosyncrasies of qualitative methods

A word of caution

CHAPTER 2. The making of strategy-making: a multi-case study

Introduction

1. Conceptual Framework

2. Research Design

3. Findings

4. Research implications

Conclusion 

CHAPTER 3. Management accounting in the consumer goods industry: a very involving form of participant observation

Introduction

1. Genesis, context and problematization process

2. A methodological choice:
Goffmanian participant observation

3. The research findings

4. Theoretical, methodological and managerial contributions of the study

Conclusion

CHAPTER 4. Service marketing and co-clients roles: group interviews, critical incident and observations

Introduction

1. The need to explore the roles of co-clients despite an existing literature

2. The research design

3. Main results

4. Theoretical and managerial implications

Conclusion

CHAPTER 5. Information systems management and appropriation of a new collaborative software: an in-depth case study

Introduction

1. Context of the research

2. Methodological approach

3. Findings

4. Theoretical and managerial implications

Conclusion

CHAPTER 7. Internal mobility and talent development: the story of a qualitative research in human resources management

Introduction

1. The origins of an HRM research

2. Implementing a Qualitative Approach in HRM Research

3. Main results

4. Theoretical and Managerial Implications; Limits of the research

Conclusion: Four non-conclusive recommendations

CHAPTER 8. Using focus groups to conduct rigorous and impactful qualitative research in operations management

Introduction

1. Research project overview

2. Research approach

3. Research findings

4. Managerial implications

Conclusion

CHAPTER 9. Organization and Actors-Networks: an action research

Introduction

1. Social network of household waste circulation and organizational learning: the household waste crisis in Beirut since 2015

2. Why did we mobilize actor-network theory?

3. Results obtained at the end of the research

4. Theoretical, methodological and managerial implications of the research

Conclusion

CHAPTER 10. “Interviews are not the only thing in life!” Diversifying field data in qualitative research in management sciences

Interviews: Issues of Relevance

The Organization at the Crossroads of Multiple Sources of Qualitative Data

New Data Collection and Analysis Methods for New Data

CHAPTER 11. Multidisciplinary qualitative research and COVID-19. The CO-DATA-LAB Project

Introduction

1. Researching the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis

2. Illustrations of results from the qualitative analyses

3. Qualitative research and collaboration between researchers

4. Implications for managers and organizations

5. The CO-DATA-LAB project

Conclusion

Appendices

Conclusion. Qualitative research and the voicing of managerial recommendations

Postface

Scientific management: an attractive dead end

From ballistics to the clinic

Resisting the tyranny of mathematics

The changes of the 1980s decade

The 1990s: the revolution will not take place

The glaciation ERA of the 2000 decade

The window reopens again

List of Editors and Contributors

The Editors

Françoise Chevalier, Ph.D. HEC, HDR, Permanent Professor at HEC Paris, Department of Management and Human Resources, member of the GREGHEC Laboratory (Groupement de Recherche et d’Etudes en Gestion, HEC Paris), she was President of the FNEGE (Fondation Nationale pour l’Enseignement de la Gestion des Entreprises) thesis awards in 2019 and 2020. Françoise is specialized in qualitative, comparative and longitudinal research methods. Her latest publications include: Gestion du changement : vers un management polyphonique, De Boeck Supérieur, 2021 (with F. Pichault and J.L. Castro), La recherche enracinée en management. Contextes nouveaux et perspectives nouvelles en Afrique, Editions EMS, 2020 (with E. Kamdem and M. Payaud), Research Methods for the DBA, Editions EMS, 2019 (with L.M. Cloutier and N. Mitev), Méthodes de recherche pour le DBA, Editions EMS, 2018 (with L.M. Cloutier and N. Mitev), Des PME aux ETI: questions de dirigeants et réponses pratiques, De Boeck Supérieur, 2018 (2nd edition). Professor Chevalier is a member of the editorial board of the journal Gérer et Comprendre. She is also active in many programs internationally.

L. Martin Cloutier, Ph.D., holds a joint doctoral degree in Strategic Management and Applied Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a Professor at the School of Management Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal (Canada), where he teaches research methodology and methods. He has published over forty articles in international peer-reviewed journals, and as many book chapters, and coordinated five collective books. Among these Research Methods for the DBA, Editions EMS, 2019 (with F. Chevalier and N. Mitev). He frequently uses mixed research methods (systems dynamics, group concept mapping (GCM)) in his research work, and the exemplary and innovative qualities of the work he conducts internationally with the GCM methodological framework was given a prominent place in Conversations about Group Concept Mapping. Applications, Examples, and Enhancements (Kane & Rosas, 2018, SAGE). Martin has conducted more than 30 GCM projects in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Caribbean with organizations working in a variety of settings. He is interested in information and communication technologies (ICT) for decision support or group collaboration and mixed research methods. His research interests include: entrepreneurial support, entrepreneurial training, digital transformation of organizations and professions (SMEs, large companies, government, value chains), dimensions of the food transition, sustainable ICT, and measuring the performance of organizations in various sectors (technology, agrifood, etc.).

Nathalie Mitev has worked for 30 years at several universities in the UK, including 17 years at the London School of Economics, Information Systems and Innovation Group, Department of Management, and is now a Research Associate at Muenster University in Germany, and at the University of Paris-Dauphine in France. She organizes doctoral workshops on qualitative research methods, thesis writing, epistemology, and technology project management at various universities and institutes (FGV Sao Paulo Brazil, Aarhus University Denmark, Glasgow University, Royal Holloway University London, Université Paris-Sud, IAE Poitiers, EM Strasbourg, IAE Grenoble, Institut Mines-Télécoms, HEC Paris, HEC Lausanne. Business Science Institute, FNEGE). She evaluates management research for funding agencies, scientific journals and conferences, supervises and evaluates theses, is senior editor for Information Technology & People and was for Systèmes d’Information et Management for 10 years. She has published articles in various management and information systems journals, conferences, and book chapters in English and French. She has also coordinated several edited volumes for Palgrave Macmillan on sociomateriality and management based on the Organizations, Artefacts and Practices conference series she has founded in collaboration with Professor de Vaujany, and two textbooks on research methods for Editions EMS.

The Authors

Michel Berry, General Engineer of Mines, Director of Research at the CNRS, Director of the CRG (Centre de recherche en gestion de l’École polytechnique, France), member of the Scientific Council of the CNRS (Centre national de recherche scientifique; National Center for Scientific Research). He was also a member of the International Advisory Board of Organization Science (1990-2000), of the Editorial Board of Business and Society, and a member of the International Programs Committee of the American Academy of Management (1994, 2003), and Chairman of the Carolyn Dexter Best International Paper Award Committee (1999-2000). He founded in 1985 the academic journal Gérer et Comprendre. He is also the founder in 1993 of L’École de Paris du Management (Management Paris School) a unique institution where researchers and practitioners dialogue on the conduct of private and public business. Understanding the world in order to change it, cultivating dialogue, and disseminating ideas are the leitmotifs of the Paris School of Management. Since its creation, the School has heard nearly 2,000 speakers, managers or executives, members of companies, public organizations or associations, French or foreign researchers, during 1,500 seminar and conference sessions. More than 1,500 people per year attend at least one meeting and several hundred follow the cycles assiduously. It constantly promotes the back and forth between theory and fieldwork. Michel has contributed to the creation of an innovative research team in which qualitative research has a prominent place.

Aurélie Dudézert is a Full Professor of management at the Institut Mines Télécom Business School and head of the IMT BS IS Lab. She is a qualified researcher and professor in information systems management. She studies organizational transformations linked to the use of collaborative technologies in work practices. She is the author of scientific articles (Journal of Strategic Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Systèmes d’Information et Management...) and books, member of editorial boards of scientific journals (Systèmes d’Information et Management, Management International) and member of the Business Science Institute. In the context of her research, she is an expert in information systems and knowledge management for French and international organizations (for example, SNCF, TOTAL, ERAMET, ORANGE, BOUYGUES, Direction Générale à l’Armement, MICHELIN...). Co-founder of the FNEGE Digital Transformation Observatory since 2018, she also addresses new issues and opportunities related to the digital economy for higher education.

Christophe Elie-Dit-Cosaque is a University Professor in Management Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Martinique and Director of the MEMIAD (Management, Economie, Modélisation, Informatique et Aide à la Décision) Laboratory (EA 2440). He holds a Ph.D. in Management Sciences from the University of Paris-Dauphine and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Georgia State University (USA). His research topics are mainly the adaptation of users to information systems (IS), the adoption of emerging technologies by organizations and individuals, and the analysis of social and human aspects during the implementation of IS in organizations. His work appears in the Journal of Management Information Systems, the European Journal of Information Systems, and Revue Management & Avenir.

Chantal Fuhrer is a Senior Lecturer at the University of La Réunion, qualified to supervise research in management sciences (HDR). Her areas of expertise are information systems and network analysis. Her research interests include the impact of digital technologies on management, inter- and intra-organizational relations, communication practices, occupational health and innovation. She also studies networks, social and hybrid, at the conceptual and methodological levels. She is author or co-author of scientific publications including articles in academic journals, conferences and book chapters. She co-authored the white paper Transforming the crisis into opportunities: the experience of managers and employees and participated in the foundation of the COVID-DATA-LAB. She is also a member of the Business Science Institute and the academic coordinator of the EDBA Indian Ocean. Before joining the teaching and academic research community, Chantal Fuhrer worked for eighteen years in business.

Médéssè Carol F. Gandégnon holds a doctorate degree in management sciences from the University of Bordeaux. He has a background in labor and social security administration. After professional experience in business and public administration in the HR function, he reoriented his career towards a university career in management, which culminated with a doctoral thesis in management sciences. In his thesis, defended in 2020, he focuses on financial governance in SMEs, and in particular, on the decision-making of managers in terms of financing. He is currently a permanent teacher-researcher at the Purpan School of Engineering (Toulouse, France). He is in charge of teaching organization, management, and corporate strategy. His research topics are related to governance and management, especially financial management of SMEs, entrepreneurship, family businesses, CSR and related topics; in traditional sectors, but also in the agricultural sector.

Kiane Goudarzi is an Associate Professor at iaelyon, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. He is currently Director of the MBA at the IAE, Deputy Director of the Magellan Research Center and Director of the Business Science Institute DBA in Shanghai. He is specialized in marketing and services management. He completed a Ph.D. in Management Sciences (Aix Marseille University, under the direction of P. Eiglier) on the socialization of the customer in services for which he received two thesis awards (AFM Award, NVivo Award). Since 2007, he has organized the International Research Conference in Service Management, La Londe service conference, which is renown internationally. His research and consulting themes include client role management (co-client roles, logistical roles of customers), customer relationship management (customer experience and quality of service, satisfaction, complaint management, socialization, trust and identification with the organization), management of personal contacts and its impact on the customer (brand image, emotional work and customer satisfaction, well being and customer satisfaction), the transition of industrial companies to services. He has collaborated with many public and private organizations: Conseil Général Loire Atlantique, City of Besançon, IKEA, Conforama, Casino Barrières, Ubisoft, SNCF... His research has been published in many international journals.

Gérard HIRIGOYEN is an Associate Professor of Management Sciences and Professor Emeritus at the University of Bordeaux. He is Honorary President of the University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV and of the Pôle Universitaire et Européen de Bordeaux and former President of the Conseil National des Universités en Sciences de Gestion. He is coordinator of the Family Business Research Team of the Institute for Research in Organization Management (IRGO). A specialist in organizational finance, and particularly in the governance of family businesses, he is the author (alone or in collaboration) of twelve books (including La création de valeur et gouvernance de l’entreprise, 4th edition, Economica 2013; Droit du financement, 22nd edition, Lamy 2012; Entreprises familiales – défis et performance, Economica, 2014; Évaluation des entreprises, Ellipses, 2017) and of numerous articles in finance, strategy and organizational theory. He is a member of scientific and editorial boards of several scientific journals.

Anne Janand is a Senior Lecturer in management sciences at the University of Paris-Saclay. She is also a graduate of HEC Paris 1997. After working for 13 years in the banking sector, she decided to reorient her career toward academia and completed a doctoral thesis in HRM. Her thesis, which examines the development of employee talent through internal mobility, was awarded the FNEGE-AGRH (Association Francophone de Gestion des Ressources Humaines) Didier Retour thesis prize and the ANDESE (Association Nationale des Docteurs ès Sciences Économiques et en Sciences de Gestion) thesis award in 2014. She has published about twenty academic articles on this subject and continues to conduct research on contemporary mobility and careers at the RITM (Réseaux, Innovation, Territoires, Mondialisation), the economics and management laboratory at the University of Paris-Saclay. She is also the General Secretary of the French Society of Management (SFM) since 2018.

Michel Kalika is the founder and President of the Business Science Institute. Professor Emeritus at the iaelyon School of Management – Université Jean Moulin, he was director of the Strasbourg School of Management and has created and directed numerous MBA and DBA programs for managers at the University of Paris-Dauphine. Author or co-author of more than twenty-five management books (including Management Stratégique, the most reprinted French strategy book), of about a hundred articles, papers, book chapters, and cases on strategy and information systems. His current publications focus on information overload, the “millefeuille” theory, and the impact of business schools. Michel Kalika has supervised about 60 doctoral theses. In 2019, 40 colleagues honored him with the book Entrepreneur at the University.

Florence LAVAL is a Lecturer at the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises de Poitiers and a researcher at CEREGE (Centre de Recherche en Gestion) (EA 1722). She is qualified to supervise research (HDR). A specialist in human resources management, she has been working since the end of the 1990s on the transformation of the HR function, both at the strategic and organizational levels. In particular, she studies the impact of the digital transformation on work practices. Author of several books and articles on the subject, she conducts her research in close collaboration with companies and institutions in the form of research contracts and collective projects: DGA (Direction générale de l’Armement), DARES (Direction de l’Animation de la recherche, des Études et des Statistiques), ANACT (Agence Nationale pour l’Amélioration des Conditions de Travail), ALPHA group, DANAE firm, CEGOS (Formation Professionnelle et Continue), the e-management observatory at Dauphine and ANVIE (Association Nationale de Valorisation Interdisciplinaire des sciences humaines et sociales auprès des Entreprises) working groups.

Olivier LAVASTRE is a University Professor in Management Sciences at Grenoble IAE, Grenoble Alpes University. He teaches supply chain management, industrial management and information systems for supply chain management (SCM). Researcher at the CERAG (Centre d’Études et de Recherches Appliquées à la Gestion) research center, his work focuses on supply chain risk management (SCRM), on the integration of the final consumer in supply chain management and on managerial innovation. He is responsible for the Master 2 program in Supply Chain Management and is co-leader of the AGR axis (Anticipation and Risk Management) at CERAG. He has coordinated, with V. Carbone and B. Ageron, the collective work Les Grands Auteurs en Logistique et Supply Chain Management published in 2016.

Sébastien Liarte is a University Professor at the University of Lorraine (ISAM-IAE of Nancy, Institut supérieur d’administration et de management) and a researcher at the Bureau d’Economie Théorique et Appliquée (BETA UMR CNRS 7522). His research in corporate strategy and organizational theory is mainly in the field of neoinstitutional theory, particularly on the concept of institutional logics. He is also interested in questions of research methodology, whether through computer simulation, text mining techniques or visual analysis. Sébastien was Editor-in-chief of the academic journal M@n@gement from 2014 to 2016.

Jean Moscarola, Professor Emeritus, specializes in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and was the originator of the Sphinx software. He is the author of the book Let your Data Speak. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, Éditions EMS, 2022, and supports researchers at the Business Science Institute Lab in their data collection and analysis work. His long experience as a researcher and entrepreneur sets him apart within the academic community.

Damien Mourey is a Professor at the University of French Polynesia in Management Sciences. He previously held teaching and research positions at the IAE of Paris and at the ENS (École Normale Supérieure) Paris-Saclay. He graduated from ESCP (École supérieure de commerce de Paris) in 1994 and spent ten years as a financial analyst (Banque Indosuez), management controller (Unilever) and Director of global supply chain performance development (Carrefour) before becoming a professor. His thesis (2008) was awarded the FNEGE-AFC (Association Française de Comptabilité) award and dealt with interorganizational and innovative category management practices in retailing. He has published more than thirty articles and book chapters – notably in the journals Accounting, Organizations, and Society, M@n@gement, Revue Française de Gestion, Scandinavian Journal of Management and Voluntas – and has recently co-edited the book Philosophie et outils de gestion. Entre dévoilement des impensés et nouvelles potentialités de théorisation, Editions EMS, 2021 (with P. Gilbert) and the forthcoming book Les grands courants en contrôle de gestion, Editions EMS (with C. Dambrin).

Michael D. Myers is Professor of Information Systems in the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management at the University of Auckland Business School in New Zealand. He is the author the highly regarded textbook Qualitative Research in Business & Management, 3rd edition, SAGE, 2020. His papers have been published in many journals, conferences and books, and he currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of European Journal of Information Systems and Editor of the AISWorld Section on Qualitative Research which has won many awards. He has previously served as a Senior Editor of MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Information & Organization and Pacific Asia Journal of the AIS. He served as President of the Association for Information Systems, as Chair of the International Federation of Information Processing Working Group 8.2, the International Conference on Information Systems and the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems. He has held visiting appointments at Claremont Graduate University, University of Southampton, Georgia State University, Salford University and Loughborough University.

Jessie Pallud is a Professor of Management Sciences at the Strasbourg School of Management and a member of the HuManiS (Humans and Management in Society) laboratory (UR 7308). She holds a Ph.D. in Management Sciences from the University of Paris-Dauphine and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Georgia State University obtained under joint supervision. She is interested in the digitalization of individuals and the adoption of information systems in companies in order to examine the new technological uses and work practices related to these tools. Her research has been published in journals such as European Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Management Information Systems, Information Systems Journal and Information and Management.

Yvon Pesqueux is Professor Emeritus, holder of the Chair Development of Organizational Systems at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Paris). He is the author of numerous scientific articles. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Galati (Romania). His research work focuses mainly on organizational theories. He has published numerous books including Epistemology of Management Sciences, Vuibert, Paris, 2013 (with A.-C. Martinet), Psychological Contract and Organizations - Understanding Written and Unwritten Agreements, Pearson France, Paris, 2014, (with D. Rousseau, P. de Rozario and R. Jardat), Theory of Organizations, Pearson, Paris, 2018 (with P. de Rozario).

Frédéric Ponsignon is an Associate Professor of Operations Management at KEDGE Business School. His research focuses on service process design, customer/visitor/patient experience, quality management and service recovery. He has used a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including case studies, content analysis, experiments, surveys and the quality methodology. He has been involved in a variety of research and consulting projects with organizations such as AFNOR (Agence Française de Normalisation), EDF, La Cité du Vin, TNT, AXA, FIAT Industrials, Devon Police, and Hennessy among others. He has published more than 15 research articles in leading international journals such as the International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Travel Research, International Journal of Production Research, and Journal of Service Management. He is also the author of several books and white papers for practitioners.

Nancy Saliba is a Ph.D. candidate at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Paris). Her research focuses on sustainable development and organizational learning in articulation with the ANT model (Actor-Network Theory). She observes and describes the social networks of household waste circulation since the outbreak of the crisis in Lebanon in 2015 from an ANT perspective. She has worked mainly in research and development in Lebanese industrial companies for more than fifteen years. Since 2019, she has been working in the field of entrepreneurship supporting waste management initiatives.

Christophe Torset is the General Manager of IAE Gustave Eiffel, specialized in strategy, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Paris-Dauphine (2003) and was major of the competitive examination for the agrégation du supérieur en sciences de gestion (2017). He mainly teaches strategic management, economic intelligence, management tools and epistemology. His research focuses on the construction of strategies in organizations, at the individual, collective and organizational levels, in the perspective of open strategy. He works particularly on individual strategists, strategic intelligence and behavioral perspectives in strategy. His publications include several articles in ranked academic journals, a dozen chapters in scientific books, articles in professional journals, two pedagogical books, and presentations at national and international conferences AIMS (Association Internationale de Management Stratégique), EGOS (European Group for Organizational Studies), SMS (Strategic Management Society). He was an elected member of the National Council of Universities (2015-2017), is an administrator of the French Society of Management and a member of several learned societies.

Acknowledgements

This book is the result of the collective work of a team of 23 authors, members of an original extended academic enterprise, the Business Science Institute. Each author has mobilized a research experience, practice, and field research to share with readers.

The book is part of an editorial continuity. It joins The DBA Thesis Project in Practice (2019), and Research Methods for the DBA (2019), which are designed to provide manager-researcher DBA candidates with methodological foundations they need to complete their thesis. This new book goes into greater depth on the elements of qualitative research methods and illustrates their contributions to the various management disciplines.

The book editors would like to thank Michael D. Myers and Michel Berry for their preface and postface, respectively. Our warmest thanks are also extended to all authors.

Finally, we hope that DBA candidates will find as much pleasure in reading these chapters as the authors did in writing them. And may this book be inspiring but also useful for their research projects.

Françoise Chevalier, L. Martin Cloutier and Nathalie Mitev

Preface

Michael D. Myers

Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are useful for studying business phenomena. If you are considering which one to use for your own research project, it is wise to look at the pros and cons of each approach. This is where the value of this book comes in. This book should help you to decide whether qualitative research is the best approach for you. The book focuses on a variety of qualitative research methods and illustrates how to conduct qualitative research in various management disciplines. As a general rule, qualitative research is best if you want to study a particular subject in depth (for example, in one or a few organizations). Whether you choose qualitative research or quantitative research (or a combination of the two) will depend on your research topic and your own research interests and expertise.

The individual chapters focus on the building blocks that are needed to complete a qualitative research project. These building blocks include: choosing an appropriate research topic; framing an appropriate research question; positioning your own research project within the existing research literature; conceptualizing your research so that you are able to make a theoretical contribution of some kind; choosing a particular qualitative research method; how to analyze your data; how to make a contribution to a research field; and how to explain the implications of your research findings for researchers and practitioners.

The chapters provide examples of qualitative research projects from a diverse range of business disciplines including accounting, finance, human resource management, information systems, marketing, operations management, and strategy. Additionally, the chapters illustrate a diverse set of qualitative research methods, such as case study research, participant observation and focus groups.

Although most of you will be focused primarily on writing up your research project for your thesis, as part of the requirements for your DBA degree, I would encourage some of you to consider writing up your findings for a conference paper, business magazine or academic journal. Although writing up your thesis is obviously important, if you write up your research work and have it published elsewhere, then potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of people can learn from your research findings. Your research, instead of being just a personal learning experience, enables other people to learn from what you did. Your research becomes a contribution to the research or practitioner literature. This published contribution becomes something which others can learn from. If you have the time and the inclination, I strongly urge you to consider this option. Perhaps the best way to pursue this opportunity is in conjunction with one or more of your professors. I have been a co-author with many of my own students in the past. And even if they get a job in industry, a published paper looks good on their CV!

In summary, there are many challenges if you are intending to use qualitative research. I hope this book will provide those who are interested in this topic with a deeper understanding of these challenges. However, there are many opportunities for contributing to business and society by conducting qualitative research that informs business research and practice. I trust that this book will inspire some of you to pursue these opportunities.

CHAPTER 1. The advent and growth of qualitative research in management sciences

Françoise Chevalier, L. Martin Cloutier and Nathalie Mitev

Abstract

This chapter proposes a historical account of the evolution of qualitative research approaches, their diversity and their singularity. The purpose of this chapter is to relate the tensions between qualitative and quantitative approaches, but from the perspective of identifying the distinct contributions they can make to the production of knowledge. The relevance of qualitative methods applied to fieldwork, such as those mobilized by DBA candidates, constitutes a promising productive and innovative way forward for the development of these approaches.

Keywords: qualitative methods, research methods.

A Pathway

Morgan and Smircich (1980, p. 491) were among the first management scholars to advocate qualitative research in the field: “organizational research of the 1960s and 1970s has been dominated by the use of quantitative methods, it now seems that a call is being raised in favor of qualitative methods”. Indeed, Mauskapf and Hirsch (2015, p. 24) state that the social sciences experienced a “qualitative revolution” and produced high-quality and innovative research. The field of organization and management studies has followed suit with quality and diversity of qualitative research.

It is worth recalling that some years ago, author guidelines for submitting papers to major management journals requested at least one table containing statistical correlations (Bansal & Corley, 2011); that around 3% of articles published in Academy of Management Journal...