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interviews. Not only was there the opportunity to test the interview guide questions, but
there was also the added benefit of developing the researcher’s confidence in conducting
face-to-face interviews.
When conducting these interviews, the researcher took the opportunity to treat them
as ‘the real thing’ by introducing himself, explaining the purpose of the research, and why
the participant was chosen. The pilot interviews were recorded in part to allow the
researcher the opportunity to familiarise himself with the use of the audio devices. This
process provided the researcher with both practise and confidence when undertaking the
actual interviews.
3.4.2 Interview Guide
Interviews took place over a four week period. The interviews were based around
Hamel’s (1991) determinants of, intent, transparency, and receptivity. However, these exact
terms were not mentioned in the interview because they may have interfered with the
respondents perceptions, thus creating a form of bias. Therefore, the questions were applied
to suit a more general audience because they were unlikely to be unaware of the academic
terminology in the topic area.
Interviews can also be susceptible to interruptions from external sources (Kayrooz
& Trevitt, 2005). The researcher arranged to interview participants at a location where
distractions would not occur. Usually this was in a meeting room at the organisation’s
offices. The interviewer commenced with a brief introduction, which disclosed the topic
that was to be discussed, and he outlined what he wanted the respondent to think about
before he started the interview. It was decided to keep this introduction brief and to the
point following the pilot interviews. Respondents were already aware of the research and
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