PhD Final Thesis April 2013.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Thesis Keith Gale 20134.7.4 Interaction of qualitative and quantitative methods in this researchQualitative methods employ an interpretive paradigm that seeks to understand ‘realworld settings where the researcher does not attempt to manipulate the phenomenonof interest’ (Patton, 2002, p39). As opposed to quantitative research, which usesprediction, casual determination and findings, qualitative research appliesunderstanding, illumination, and comparative extrapolation (Hoepfl, 1997).Qualitative methods seek to provide answers to the ‘how and why’ questions bydeveloping themes from identified data (Cresswell, 2003). This themed approachsuits research into organisational culture because it combines sociologicalanthropology with organisational perspective. Qualitative analysis gathers resultsfrom a different area of knowledge than quantitative because the former seeks tounderstand the underlying philosophical nature of each paradigm whereas the latterconcentrates on compatibility of research methods by ‘enjoying the rewards of bothnumbers and words’ (Glesne and Peshkin, 1992, p8). Methods used in qualitativeresearch such as interviews and observations are dominant in the naturalist(interpretive) paradigm and supplement the positivist paradigm whereas surveymethods create an opposed order.An ability to examine insight into organisational culture within the constructionprocess will assist with identifying ‘from the inside’ areas considered important bypractitioners (Rooke and Seymour, 2002). Interviews and questionnaires allowintegration with participants and also provide an appropriate method of collectingqualitative data to assist with identification of cultural paradigms. Questionnaires arepredominantly quantitative in essence but an element of the questionnaire involvedcollection of views from framework agreement participants. Recognition ofqualitative values allows construction of an interview schedule to explore viewsfurther.Interviews sought to discover essences of practitioner views by questioning theconnection between performance and framework agreements and if or why there isany difference between performance of framework agreements with discrete projects.Results from interviews form the largest portion of qualitative data, but has thebenefit of generalisation through interpretive validity where an understanding of the89