essential-guide-to-qualitative-in-organizational-research

272 –––––––––– QUALITATIVE METHODS IN ORGANIZATION STUDIES ––––––––––––––––––explanations and therefore enable the theory generation or testing process. In explanatorymatrices the concern is with trying to understand why specific things happen as they do, withthe matrix enabling the display of explanations which seem relevant to a particular question.The boundary between describing and explaining is not always apparent and both are keystages of the qualitative data analysis process. Miles and Huberman suggest that:Naturally there is no clear boundary between describing and explaining; the researchertypically moves through a series of analysis episodes that condense more and moredata into a more and more coherent understanding of what, how and why. (1944: 91)The idea of display is central: the aim being to provide visibility to the process of data analysis.Miles and Huberman also point out that the key skill of constructing a data analysis matrixis to make a large amount of data ‘accessible’ and meaningful whilst doing justice to thecomplexity of the data by enabling cross site and within site comparisons – especially to thereader who is looking at the research for the first time. They argue that this is different fromtypical methods of qualitative data display where readers are often confronted with data thatare dispersed over many pages, sequential rather than simultaneous, and often poorly orderedand bulky. Good displays have clear advantages for both the researcher and the reader, enablingthem to absorb large amounts of information quickly.A key advantage of matrices is their flexibility. They can be used at various points in aproject for a range of different functions. Initially they may be used to get an overview of thedata in an exploratory way or, later in the project, to carry out a more detailed analysis.Matrices can also be used for different levels of analysis. For example, for within site analysisthey can be used for combining parallel data from a range of research methods. Alternativelythey can be used for combining data from several cases for cross-site analysis.STAGES OF MATRIX ANALYSIS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––The first stage of creating a matrix is to create a synopsis of a case. Once data have been collected,Miles and Huberman suggest a ‘contact summary sheet’ be drawn up relating to each site:After a field contact (from one to several days) and the production of write ups, thereis often a need to pause and ponder: what were the main concepts, themes and issuesthat I saw during this contact? Without such reflection it is easy to get lost in a welterof detail. (1994: 51)A contact summary sheet is a single sheet with some focusing or summarizing questions aboutthe contact. The field worker reviews the written up field notes and answers each questionbriefly to develop an overall summary of the main points in the contact. This summary canalso draw on all the different data collection tools used and can provide a structure for theanalysis as a whole.The next stage of matrix analysis is coding of data. This is a key element in all qualitativedata analysis. Inevitably at this stage of the process the researcher needs to make a decisionabout whether to code all data or not, and the extent to which the aim is to produce a ‘thick’or ‘thin’ textured description (Geertz, 1973). Miles and Huberman detail a number of waysin which data can be coded and categorized. They emphasize that coding is analysis