Understanding your research philosophy

Aspects of philosophy

• Positivism - the stance of the natural scientist

• Interpretivism – researchers as ‘social actors’

• Pragmitism
 Positivism
Positivism can be defined as “research approaches that employ empirical
methods, make extensive use of quantitative analysis, or develop logical
calculi to build formal explanatory theory”.
Advantages: Quantitative research is more “scientific” in its methods than
qualitative research and thus more trustworthy; provides objective
information that researchers can use to make scientific assumptions; follows a
well-defined structure during studies and discussions; more accurate when it
comes to experiments and applications as it tries to follow specific rules using
objective mathematical and scientific tools.
Disadvantage: Human Behavior naturally comes with emotional responses;
tend to be inflexible, positivists believe everything can be measured and
calculated and tend to disregard unexplained phenomena. If a theory that
says A only occurs when B and C combine, then B can never be A, this belief
can eliminate lateral thinking, which is the process of finding answers by
creatively and indirectly finding out ways to solve a problem.
Interpretivisim
• Interpretive research is concerned with the meanings that people attach to
norms, rules, and values that regulate their interactions. Care is taken not to
impose a previous understanding of norms, rules, and values on others but rather
to understand their beliefs and actions from their point of view. The focus is not
only on what they tell us directly about the reasons for their beliefs and actions
but also on the social practices that underlie them. Social practice gives meaning
to social action
Interpretivism
Interpretivisim advocates it is necessary for the researcher to
understand differences between humans in our role as social actors.
Approach: social constructivism, phenomenology and hermeneutics
(focuses on biblical texts and wisdom literature)
Adv. : qualitative research areas such as cross-cultural differences in
organizations, issues of ethics, leadership and analysis of factors
impacting leadership etc. can be studied in a great level of depth.
Disadv. : interpretivism relate to subjective nature of this approach and
great room for bias on behalf of researcher. Primary data generated in
interpretivist studies cannot be generalized since data is heavily
impacted by personal viewpoint and values. Therefore, reliability and
representativeness of data is undermined to a certain extent as well.
Pragmatism
• Pragmatism holds that the most important determinant of the
epistemology, ontology, axiology adopted is the research question.
• Pragmatist recognizes that there are many different ways of
interpreting the world and undertaking research, that no single point
of view can ever give us entire picture and that there may be multiple
realities.
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Pragmatism
Adv: 1. Relevance to Situations in the Real World
2. Holistic Development
3. Goals that are dynamic and adaptable
4. Experiential and Active Learning
5. Collaboration and Social Interaction
Disadv: 1. Lack of Moral Basis
2. Overemphasis on Practicality
3. Subjectivity of Truth
4. Potential Neglect of Theoretical Learning
5. Individual Differences and Customization
 Research Approaches
• Deduction: if your research starts with theory, often developed based on
literature review, and you design a research strategy to test the theory; The
deductive method is a way of researching that begins with a general
principle or rule and applies it to specific examples or cases.
• Induction: If your research starts by collecting data to explore a
phenomenon and you generate or build theory (conceptual framework);
Inductive reasoning takes specific observations and makes general
conclusions out of them
• Abduction: You are collecting data to explore a phenomenon, identify
themes, and explain patterns to generate a new or modify an exiting
theory which you subsequently test through additional data collection .
 Research Approaches

Deduction
5 sequential stages of testing theory

• Deducing a hypothesis
• Expressing the hypothesis operationally
• Testing the operational hypothesis
• Examining the specific outcome of the enquiry
• Modifying the theory (if necessary)
 Research Approaches

Characteristics of Deduction

• Explaining causal relationships between variables

• Establishing controls for testing hypotheses

• Independence of the researcher

• Concepts operationalised for quantative measurement

• Generalisation
 Research Approaches (3)
Induction
Building theory by –

• Understanding the way human build their world

• Permitting alternative explanations of what’s going
on
• Being concerned with the context of events
• Using more qualitative data
• Using a variety of data collection methods
 Choosing your research approach

The right choice of approach helps you to

• Make a more informed decision about the research

design

• Think about which strategies will work for your

research topic

• Adapt your design to cater for any constraints

 Combining research approaches

Things worth considering

• The nature of the research topic

• The time available

• The extent of risk

• The research audience – managers and markers

The Value of Acquiring Research Skills
• To gather more information before selecting a course of action
• To do a high-level research study
• To understand research design
• To evaluate and resolve a current management dilemma
• To establish a career as a research specialist
What is Good Research?
• Following the standards of the scientific method
• Purpose clearly defined
• Research process detailed
• Research design thoroughly planned
• Limitations frankly revealed
• High ethical standards applied
What is Good Research? (cont.)
• Following the standards of the scientific method (cont.)
• Adequate analysis for decision-maker’s needs
• Findings presented unambiguously
• Conclusions justified
• Researcher’s experience reflected
The Manager-Researcher Relationship
• Manager’s obligations
• Specify problems
• Provide adequate background information
• Access to company information gatekeepers
• Researcher’s obligations
• Develop a creative research design
• Provide answers to important business questions
Manager-Researcher Conflicts
• Management’s limited exposure to research
• Manager sees researcher as threat to personal status
• Researcher has to consider corporate culture and political situations
• Researcher’s isolation from managers
When Research Should be Avoided
• When information cannot be applied to a critical managerial decision
• When managerial decision involves little risk
• When management has insufficient resources to conduct a study
• When the cost of the study outweighs the level of risk of the decision
Thank you