2025-10_Qualitative Research Methods in Management
Course Description
This course offers students an advanced introduction to qualitative research methods in management and organization studies. Qualitative research methods enable us to handle large bodies of unstructured data (textual, graphical, audio, and video) that cannot be meaningfully analyzed by formal, statistical approaches. Students will learn how to design a qualitative research project and be introduced to different qualitative research approaches, such as case study research, grounded theory, ethnography, and discourse analysis. The course allows students to discuss and reflect on how to construct a research question, craft a qualitative research design, collect and rigorously analyze data with the help of qualitative data analysis methodologies and procedures, as well as evaluate the quality of qualitative research.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, students shall be able to:
- Explain the philosophical foundations of qualitative research methods
- Decide whether a qualitative research approach is appropriate for addressing a given research question
- Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different qualitative research strategies
- Plan, design, and execute small-scale qualitative research studies
- Evaluate the methodological strengths and weaknesses of existing qualitative research papers
- Critically reflect on the pros and cons of qualitative study design
Structure
Kick-Off: Wed, 05.04., 14:50 - 18:10, room: SCH A104/P
Workshop-Day 1: 09.06., 09:20 - 16:20, room: SCH A105/P
Workshop-Day 2: 29.06., 09:20 - 16:20, room: SCH A105/P
Wrap-up: 12.7. 14:50-18:10 Uhr, room: SCH A105/P
Assessment
Assessment will be based on a term paper (3,000 words, 60% of the overall grade) and a research presentation (20 minutes, 40%).
Term paper (60%): You will be expected to submit a written qualitative mini research paper on a topic of your choice. I want you to pick a method that has been discussed in this course and work with it. Emphasis is on the coherence of the research question, research design, conduct, and final reflection.
Presentation (40%): You have to prepare a 15-20 minute presentation (alone or in groups) on a topic related to the class material (see readings marked with x and y). Presentation topics will be assigned in the first session.
Sessions and Readings
Underlined readings are mandatory core readings (10 in total) for everyone. Readings with (x) and (y) are possible presentation topics. The remaining readings are optional but should be considered by the presenters for the respective topics. Find them in the syllabus and literature file on OPAL.
Block Session 1/2 (June 9th)
1 - Philosophical foundations of qualitative research
Gephart, R. P. 2004. Qualitative Research and the Academy of Management Journal. Academy of Management Journal, 47(4): 454–462.
(x) Van de Ven, A. H. 2007. Engaged scholarship: A guide for organizational and social research. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press: Chapter 2.
(y) Hassard, J., & Cox, J. W. 2019. Philosophy of Science, Social Theory, and Organizational Analysis: Paradigmatic Transformations since the Postmodern Turn. In D. M. Boje & M. Sanchez (Eds.), The Emerald Handbook of Management and Organization Inquiry: 207–227. Emerald.
2 - Case Study research
Yin, K.R. 2003. Case study research: Design and Methods – Third Edition, Thousand Oaks. (Chapter 1 + 2)
(x) Ozcan, P., Han, S. and Graebner, M. E. 2017. Single cases: The what, why, and how. In R. Mir and S. Jain (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Qualitative Research in Organization Studies: 92–112. New York: Routledge
(y) Flyvbjerg, B. 2006. Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research, Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2): 219-245.
3 - Organizational ethnography
Cunliffe, A. L. 2010. Retelling tales of the field: In search of organizational ethnography 20 years on. Organizational Research Methods. 13(2): 224-239.
(x) Dumont, G. 2022. Immersion in Organizational Ethnography: Four Methodological Requirements to Immerse Oneself in the Field. Organizational Research Methods, in press.
(y) Van Maanen, J. 2011. Ethnography as Work: Some Rules of Engagement. Journal of Management Studies, 48 (1): 218-234.
4 - Grounded theory
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory research: Procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13(1), 3–21.
(x) Suddaby, R. (2006) What grounded theory is not. Academy of Management Journal, 49, pp. 633-642.
(y) Cornelissen, J. P. (2017). Preserving theoretical divergence in management research: Why the explanatory potential of qualitative research should be harnessed, rather than suppressed. Journal of Management Studies, 54(3), 368–383.
5 - Reflexivity and research ethics
Alvesson, M., Hardy, C. & Harley, B. 2008. Reflecting on Reflexivity: Reflexive Textual Practices in Organizations and Management Theory.’ Journal of Management Studies, 45 (3): 480-501.
(x) Bell, E. & Bryman, A. 2007. The ethics of management research: An exploratory content analysis. British Journal of Management, 18(1): 63–77.
(y) Locke, K., Golden-Biddle, K. & Feldman, M. 2008. Making Doubt Generative: Rethinking the Role of Doubt in the Research Process.’ Organization Science, 19 (6): 907-918.
Block Session 2/2 (June 29th)
6 – Interviewing
Gudkova, S. 2018. Interviewing in Qualitative Research. In M. Ciesielska & D. Jemielniak (Eds.), Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies: 75–96. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
(x) Kvale, S. 1996. Chapter 7: The Interview Situation; Chapter 8: The Quality of the Interview. Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing: 124–135; 144–159. London: SAGE.
(Y) Alvesson, M. 2003. Beyond neopositivists, romantics, and localists: A reflexive approach to interviews in organizational research. Academy of Management Review, 28 (1), 13-33.
7 - Participant Observation
Spradley, J. P. 1980. Doing Participant Oberservation. Participant Observation: 53–62. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
(x) Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. 2011. In the Field: Participating, Observing, and Jotting Notes. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (2nd ed.): 21–43. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.
(y) Ciesielska, M., Boström, K. W., & Öhlander, M. 2018. Observation Methods. In M. Ciesielska & D. Jemielniak (Eds.), Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies: 33–52. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
8 - Coding of Qualitative Data
Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. 2013. Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia Methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1): 15–31.
(x) Locke, K., Feldman, M., & Golden-Biddle, K. 2022. Coding Practices and Iterativity: Beyond Templates for Analyzing Qualitative Data. Organizational Research Methods, 25(2): 262–284.
(y) Grodal, S., Anteby, M., & Holm, A. L. 2021. Achieving Rigor in Qualitative Analysis: The Role of Active Categorization in Theory Building. Academy of Management Review, 46(3): 591–612.
9 - Designing qualitative research projects
Gehman, J., Glaser, V. L., Eisenhardt, K. M., Gioia, D., Langley, A., et al. 2018. Finding Theory–Method Fit: A Comparison of Three Qualitative Approaches to Theory Building. Journal of Management Inquiry, 27(3): 284–300.
(x) Alvesson, M. & Sandberg, J. 2011. Generating Research Questions Through Problematization.’ Academy of Management Review, 36 (2): 247-271.
(y) Köhler, T., Smith, A., & Bhakoo, V. 2022. Templates in Qualitative Research Methods: Origins, Limitations, and New Directions. Organizational Research Methods, 25(2): 183–210.
10 - Writing and evaluating qualitative research
Amis, J. M., & Silk, M. L. 2008. The Philosophy and Politics of Quality in Qualitative Organizational Research. Organizational Research Methods, 11(3): 456–480.
(x) Tracy, S. J. 2010. Qualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10): 837–851.
(y) Sandberg, J. 2005. How do we justify knowledge produced within interpretive approaches’. Organizational Research Methods, 8 (1): 41-68.