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

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CASE STUDY RESEARCH–––––––––– 327survey of English local councils, but followed this with 12 case studies of councils which hadbeen particularly distinctive from the survey (Downe et al., 2002). A further strategy is to startwith exploratory case study research, testing the emerging findings in wider survey-basedresearch.UNDERTAKING CASE STUDY RESEARCH ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––This section looks at some of the practical steps and plans which are needed in case studyresearch.Choosing the case studyAn initial issue is how to select the case study organization. First, what kind of organizationis the researcher looking for? Is it intended to be typical of the phenomenon to be studied?Or an extreme example? Has the researcher the resources and interest in undertaking morethan one case? How might the cases contrast each other? The researcher needs to be clearabout what kind of organization would fit the criteria for the research.Using contacts in government and industry, academia and friendship circles can be helpful,first, in establishing what the population is of organizations you might draw the case study from,and second, how to select the case(s). Interviews with informed experts (for example,government officials, employers’ representatives, trade unions nationally or locally, academics)can be useful in finding out about certain organizations before you make a direct approach.Reading the specialist and trade press is informative too.Gaining and maintaining accessParticular attention has to be paid to this element of the research, both because you will needrepeated access to the case study organization and also because the organization is likely towant to safeguard its reputation in allowing you access. Deciding on who are the critical ‘gatekeepers’to organizational research is important. These are the people (there may be several)who are influential in deciding whether you will be allowed access, for how long, and whocan introduce you to useful informants. Whoever the initial gatekeeper is, you need toestablish quickly who are the other significant people in the organization. Mapping thestakeholders inside the organization can be useful initial work. There may also be valuableexternal stakeholders and commentators to consider interviewing as part of the case study.Sometimes, setting up a working party in the organization to sponsor and oversee the researchcan be a way of ensuring that it is supported by the organization. Clearly you need to havea keen (and continuing) sense of the politics of the organization. A number of writers havecommented on access issues in organizational research (for example, Buchanan et al., 1988;Bryman, 1988; Stake, 1995).Choosing an initial theoretical frameworkDepending on the depth and range of the extant literature, the initial focus of the case studymay be quite focused or broad and open-ended. Even in the latter case, some focus is needed