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

24 –––––––––– QUALITATIVE METHODS IN ORGANIZATION STUDIES ––––––––––––––––––Giving participants the opportunity to reflect in this way and construct their position canincrease their ‘role’ in the research process (Smith, 1996). Indeed, it could be argued, that theincreased reflexivity allowed for by using e-mail could facilitate taking the social constructionof research seriously. It may lead us to abandon the concept of an essential ‘self’ (Davies, 1998)and increase our potential to reflect upon the relative and constructed nature of our research,such that we shift to a more transparent collective endeavour (Michael, 1996). The issuessurrounding this will be discussed in more detail later as concerns regarding the possibleincreased reflexivity but reduced control of this method will vary depending upon theresearcher’s epistemological stance.PREVIOUS STUDIES ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Electronic interviews, particularly over the Internet, have been used in a variety of studiesaimed at investigating Internet use and online behaviour (Paccagnella, 1997; Parks and Floyd,1996). They have been used successfully to conduct research with those who are difficult toaccess, such as drug dealers (Coomber, 1997). The method is being used increasingly ineducational research, to assess the use of distance learning and, in particular, the experienceof disabled students, for whom technology may be of special benefit (Mann and Stewart,2000). The use of such technology can also enable speedy multinational research, althoughthere is always the danger that speed and ease of use lead to a lack of consideration with respectto cultural differences.In organizational studies, published research has so far been limited to assessing how managersand staff use e-mail (for example, Romm and Pliskin, 1997), and the impact of communicationtechnology on communications, decision making and team working (see El-Shinnaway andMarkus, 1997; O’Mahoney and Barley, 1999; Platt and Page, 2001). There is little written aboutthe use of electronic interviews as a research tool in this area. However, with the increased useof e-mail in organizations, the method has the potential to access a broad range of extremelybusy people. Indeed, in many organizations, people operate in transient ways, travelling theglobe, working on a number of different sites, or carrying out shift-work, so arrangingappointments can be difficult. Furthermore, in some organizations e-mail has become thestandard method for communication – for some even the preferred method of communication –suggesting that research using this method may be more acceptable than alternatives.AN ORGANIZATIONAL EXAMPLE: OUTSOURCING TRANSITIONS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––This section describes the practical issues involved in designing and conducting electronicinterviews, illustrating these with a discussion of our own preliminary experience in using thismethod. We begin with a brief outline of the background to the research.Background and rationaleThe research was part of a longitudinal study on commitment and identification withinsystems houses (companies whose employees develop programs for and manage operations ofother companies’ computer systems). In particular we were interested in the experience of