Building Better Theory by Bridging the Quantitative–Qualitative Divide*

abstract Qualitative methods for data collection and analysis are not mystical, but they are powerful, particularly when used to build new or refine existing theories. This article provides an introduction to qualitative methods and an overview of tactics for ensuring rigor in qualitative research useful for the novice researcher, as well as more experienced researchers interested in expanding their methodological repertoire or seeking guidance on how to evaluate qualitative research. We focus our discussion on the qualitative analytical technique of grounded theory building, and suggest that organizational research has much to gain by coupling of use of qualitative and quantitative research methods.     

Conducting Online Surveys

The World Wide Web (WWW) is increasingly being used as a tool and platform for survey research. Two types of electronic or online surveys available for data collection are the email and Web based survey, and they constitute the focus of this paper. We address a multitude of issues researchers should consider before and during the use of this method of data collection: advantages and liabilities with this form of survey research, sampling problems, questionnaire design considerations, suggestions in approaching potential respondents, response rates and aspects of data processing. Where relevant, the methodological issues involved are illustrated with examples from our own research practice. This methods review shows that most challenges are resolved when taking into account the principles that guide the conduct of conventional surveys.     

Concatenated exploration: notes on a neglected type of longitudinal research

Concatenated exploration refers at once to a research process and the resulting set of field studies that are linked together, as it were, in a chain leading to cumulative grounded theory. It is a form of longitudinal, qualitative research which, unfortunately, has been largely neglected by field researchers in sociology. The methodological and theoretical foundations of concatenated exploration are set out and its advantages and disadvantages assessed. One of its important strengths is the opportunity it makes available for qualitative researchers to push the study of a set of related groups or social processes toward increased methodological and theoretical rigor (both qualitative and quantitative) without sacrificing the flexibility needed for exploration and the further development of grounded theory.Paper presented at the 7th Qualitative Analysis Conference. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, May, 1991.     

Are case studies more than sophisticated storytelling?: Methodological problems of qualitative empirical research mainly based on semi-structured interviews

Qualitative empirical research and case studies have, like any other scientific method, their strengths and weaknesses. But how valid are the findings stemming from such research, particularly when they are base on data gained from interviews? This paper primarily deals with the methodological problems throughout the whole research process. Areas of concerns are: (1) before collecting data and during the whole research process, (2) the process of collecting data, (3) internal validity and making sense of data, (4) external validity of the data and findings, (5) relation between the findings and social sciences as well as social practice. The analysis will reveal a mixed picture concerning the scientific value of qualitative case studies. There is some good news. There is more methodological freedom and room for creativity in qualitative research than it seems at first glance. On the other hand there is a need for a greater methodological awareness particularly concerning possible downsides of subjectivity, the generalisation of the findings, conscious and unconscious biases, influences of dominant ideologies and mainstream thinking. Above all, there is a great need for rational critique. There is great need for a more critical attitude towards (basic) assumptions—particularly, to challenge, question and criticise literally everything systematically and permanently and to put the findings sufficiently in relation to the wider historical context, i.e. epochal ideologies and societal structures. Social science research has to contribute much more to the discussion of values, interests, and ideologies that shape current and future social practices.     

Mixed-effects models for health care longitudinal data with an informative visiting process: A Monte Carlo simulation study

Electronic health records are being increasingly used in medical research to answer more relevant and detailed clinical questions; however, they pose new and significant methodological challenges. For instance, observation times are likely correlated with the underlying disease severity: Patients with worse conditions utilise health care more and may have worse biomarker values recorded. Traditional methods for analysing longitudinal data assume independence between observation times and disease severity; yet, with health care data, such assumptions unlikely hold. Through Monte Carlo simulation, we compare different analytical approaches proposed to account for an informative visiting process to assess whether they lead to unbiased results. Furthermore, we formalise a joint model for the observation process and the longitudinal outcome within an extended joint modelling framework. We illustrate our results using data from a pragmatic trial on enhanced care for individuals with chronic kidney disease, and we introduce user-friendly software that can be used to fit the joint model for the observation process and a longitudinal outcome.     

Interviewing and surveying over the phone: a reflexive account of a research on parenting

This paper is on the role that the phone plays in a mixed-methods empirical research. In the current sociological literature, the phone is a methodological object associated with quantitative fieldwork, while little is said on the phone as a tool for qualitative research. We reflect here on a case study on the use of parental leaves by fathers in Spain, which included the phone as the only communication tool between researchers and subjects. We collect out own experience as interviewers in the qualitative phase of the research project, and interviewed surveyors working in the field. We analyze the discursive data following grounded theory principles and compare the use of both techniques in the data gathering process, including sampling and design. Thus, we consider interviewing and surveying as mediated communication situations. Our findings show that the value of the phone as a tool for research is a matter of adequacy to a given methodology, rather than an issue of validity, reliability, or credibility.     

Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis Using Latent and Manifest Variables

The relative virtues of quantitative and qualitative research have been vigorously debated. Several researchers recommend combining methodologies but there is little evidence in the literature to suggest how different research methods might be integrated (Bryman, 1988). The current study addresses this deficiency in the research by examining the use of latent variables in quantitative and qualitative research as a means of blending the two approaches. A study of entrepreneurial Locus of Control where quantitative and qualitative data were available illustrates the methodological issues. Analysis of quantitative data was conducted using LISREL (7.20) and qualitative data were categorised using NUD.IST (Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing Searching and Theorising computer software). Detailed comparisons are made between the methods described in this paper and other approaches to content analysis.     

公安机关信息化水平评价指标体系与评价方法

公安机关面临着信息化挑战,需要科学的评价指标体系与评价方法来指导其信息化建设。首先建立了公安机关信息化水平评价指标体系,包括信息网络基础建设、数据库建设、信息安全、管理制度规范化、公安人员信息素质五大类指标;然后提出了公安机关信息化水平评价方法,包括评价数据采集与标准化处理、指标权重确定及信息化评价指数模型的构建。     

Sustainable procurement: Past,present and future

Sustainable procurement is increasingly on the agenda for purchasing and supply managers seeking to demonstrate corporate social responsibility in their supply chains. In this paper, we identify trends in the literature and establish that this is a burgeoning field. We identify methodological challenges and research gaps to guide future research. We propose a sustainable procurement framework to help structure future research across supply chains. Finally, we introduce each of the papers in the special issue, and identify what makes them stand out as making a novel contribution to research in the field.     

Ownership,governance, and the diffusion of HRM practices in multinational worker cooperatives: Case‐study evidence from the Mondragon group

Drawing on a qualitative study of one Mondragon multinational worker cooperative (WC) based on longitudinal data and in‐depth interviews, our research evidences the contradictions that internationalisation poses in WCs, both through privileging managerial control at the expense of worker–member participation and through the setting‐up of capitalist subsidiaries in which employees are excluded from ownership and decision‐making. It further shows how institutions, power relations, and interests shape transfer in WCs, supporting the diffusion of certain human resource management (HRM) practices on grounds of efficiency but hampering the implementation of core cooperative practices. We make a threefold contribution: first, to a strand of inquiry focused on the influence of corporate governance on HRM; second, to the field of international HRM by analysing the cross‐national diffusion of HRM practices in WCs; and third, to ongoing debates on the challenges that WCs face when striving to balance the economic and social dimensions in globalisation.     

Conflicting perceptions on participation between citizens and members of local government

There is a growing consensus among citizens and members of local government that citizen participation is desirable for local government. However in practice, there are differing perceptions between them regarding the level and extent of citizen participation. As citizen participation is a multi faceted concept, its meaning is construed differently by both the members of local government and the citizen groups. This paper attempts to describe the conflicts that arise from participation. The paper is based on the study of the process of citizen participation in local government carried out in Torbat-Heydarieh city, Iran. A qualitative research method is seen as the most suitable approach of collecting and analyzing the data. The method employed for data collection in this research is in-depth interviews. In-depth interviews were conducted to gauge the existence of conflicts regarding participation. The findings reveal four areas that give rise to conflicts. This study also attempts to highlight two different views regarding citizen participation; the people-centered view and authority-centered view.     

The Impact of Profit Sharing on the Performance of Financial Services Firms*

abstract Relying on macro theories (agency and organizational control) as well as micro theories (goal setting and expectancy), this study investigates the impact of profit‐sharing plan (PSP) adoption on the value creation process of financial services firms. The study relies on a comprehensive methodological approach that is both quantitative, with a dual cross‐sectional/longitudinal (pre‐post) design that compares PSP adopters with a control group of PSP non‐adopter firms, and qualitative through interviews with some adopting firms’ managing directors. Results show that firms adopting a PSP enhance their profitability in comparison to both their own prior performance and to firms that are not adopting a PSP. Results also show that the adoption of a PSP: (a) positively influences only profit drivers that are under employee control; and (b) is more likely to have a long term, positive impact on external profit drivers than on internal profit drivers. Qualitative data from field interviews corroborate and enrich these quantitative findings.     

Excel spreadsheet as a tool for social narrative analysis

Qualitative research is an open field where different researchers from several disciplines deal with social meanings and with the issue of understanding. During the last two decades, the use of computers and software has extended to become a relevant part of our daily landscape and also a basic device of social research, even in relation to a qualitative approach. There are many applications of qualitative research software specially designed by a diversity of firms and institutions producing different levels of sophisticated tools that can be used in the social research process. This paper presents a protocol for using an Excel spreadsheet as a tool for analyzing social discourses. We will show how to work with the documents produced in the empirical data collection and the criteria to structure the components of the application and its main representations. Finally, we offer a methodology for developing a personalized application in order to orient social design as a powerful and reflexive tool that contribute to a social thinking immersed in continuous improvement.     

Preparing for analysis: a practical guide for a critical step for procedural rigor in large-scale multisite qualitative research studies

Despite attention to technical aspects of conducting qualitative research, few studies describe procedures for managing pre-analysis activities in large-scale multisite qualitative projects. As part of the data collection for the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies, a national multisite research cooperative with nine research centers (RCs) conducted 700 semi-structured interviews to evaluate interorganizational strategies in three protocols focused on improving addiction- and health related service delivery in criminal justice settings. Guided by the research cooperative, RCs collaborated on many aspects of the qualitative data activities (e.g., codebook development and coding activities), however, pre-analysis procedures, such as organizing and managing resources, were primarily managed at the RC level. The present study examines these various practices and describes two exemplary approaches to pre-analysis, with emphasis on lessons learned and recommendations for coordinating resources, managing data, and maintaining fidelity to the study procedures for large-scale qualitative projects.     

Inclusion and education in European countries: methodological considerations

In this paper, the author intends to explain the comparative challenges of a research project and the methodological grounding and justification of the research conclusions. The research project regarded an assignment of the European Commission to assess inclusion measures in primary and secondary education in 10 European countries, i.e. France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK (Contract 2007-2094/001 TRA-TRSPO). National as well as comparative reports were submitted to the Commission in August 2009 and accepted for further publication in October 2009. The present paper will concentrate on the methodological issues and considerations. It will demonstrate that the conclusions were grounded and justified from a methodological perspective, applying an appropriate mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, notwithstanding serious limitations and restrictions.     

Methodological criteria for the internal validity and utility of practice oriented research

For conducting practice oriented research different research strategies are available. In this paper a typology is developed for differentiating between practice oriented research strategies that are data based and participatory research strategies. The former category involves quantitative and qualitative data based research strategies. The latter category, participatory research strategies, includes knowledge based research and practice based research. At present, methodological criteria for assessing the quality of practice oriented research heavily rely on those developed for theory oriented research, in particular internal and external validity and reliability. However, we argue that for assessing the results of practice oriented research other criteria are necessary. In this paper, methodological criteria are formulated for evaluating the internal validity and practical utility of practice oriented research with the help of a Delphi study using research methodologists as experts. They agree upon the criteria of verifiability, comprehensibility and acceptance of the results, as well as holism. Moreover, different categories of participatory and data based research strategies are compared to these criteria. Practice based research and qualitative data based research are best equipped to fulfill these criteria. These findings may enable researchers to make a more deliberate choice for a specific research strategy in practice oriented research.     

Measuring sustainability risks: A rational myth?

The objective of this paper is to investigate the rigorousness and reliability of sustainability rating agencies' evaluation of corporate sustainability risks. Using grounded theory, this study conducts a qualitative analysis of 32 semi‐structured interviews with practitioners involved in this activity and shows the trade‐offs and rational myths underlying this evaluation process. The image of rationality and rigorousness projected by sustainability risk measurements is mostly intended to address the increasing institutional pressures for reliable and comparable information, particularly from institutional investors and socially responsible investment decision makers. Nevertheless, risk analysts face serious challenges due to the lack of reliable information, the unpredictability of sustainability risks, the methodological issues related to the measurement process, and the complexity and context‐dependency of risk assessment. These challenges call into question the official and optimistic rhetoric of rating agencies. This study contributes to the literature on sustainability risks and rational myths in organizations. Managerial implications and avenues for future research are also discussed.     

Organizational Goals,Outcomes, and the Assessment of Performance: Reconceptualizing Success in Management Studies

We revisit the study of organizational goals, outcomes, and assessment of performance that together define the process leading to ‘success’. We begin by conducting a systematic review of existing research which allows us to develop an integrative framework discussing this large body of work. We then describe contemporary research examples in light of our proposed framework. We close by proposing four new areas to continue to advance the field: reconceptualizing performance (and success) as achievement of goals; diversity of goal systems in research designs, and their relationship with the purpose of an organization; multilevel and temporal dynamics; and governance of goal setting. Overall, our efforts inform future research on organizational success in the context of our new societal challenges and accomplish the intriguing task of re-defining success in management studies.