Qualitative Research

Research methodology HRM
Qualitative research
Frank Ma
OCTOBER 2, 2023
Example articles for in-class exercises
• Doldor, E., & Atewologun, D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to ethnic
stigma among professionals. Human Relations, 74(6), 892–921.
• Mikkelsen, EN (2021). Looking over your shoulder: Embodied responses to contamination in the emotionally dirty
work of prison officers. Human Relations.
2 Faculty of Economics and Business

Choosing and Review literature Formulate research

defining a research critically questions and
topic objectives
Drawing up a
Determine research research design
method (action plan)
Data collection Data analysis Reporting

Overview of lessons
• Lesson 1
• What is qualitative research: definition
• Qualitative research design
• Approaches to qualitative research
• Lesson 2
• Setting and sample
• Data collection

Part 1
Frank Ma
Phenomenon
Qualitative research:
An iterative process Issue
Research purpose
research question
research design
Data collection
Data analysis
Reporting

What is qualitative research

Qualitative research: What does not fit the
picture ?
Experiences
Feelings
Quantify
Thoughts
Causality
Meaning Generalizable

Qualitative research as criticism or alternative
Three conditions:
Doing qualitative research would be the preferred method when
• (1) the main research questions are "how" or "why" questions;
• (2) a researcher has little or no control over behavioral events; and
• (3) the focus of study is a contemporary phenomenon in its real-world context (as
opposed to historical/archival). (R. Yin, 2014)

Definition of qualitative research
• Qualitative research is a process of naturalistic inquiry that seeks an in-depth
understanding of social phenomena within their natural setting. It focuses on the
"why" rather than the "what" of social phenomena and relies on the direct
experiences of human beings as meaning-making agents in their every day lives.
• Rather than by mathematical and statistical procedures, qualitative researchers use

multiple systems of inquiry for the study of human phenomena including ontology,
epistemology, case study and grounded theory.
• Holistic image
• Natural setting
• Design in continuous development (emerging/arising with no preivous expectation)
• Multiple methods
• Rich description and in-depth understanding
• Researchers as part of the research
• Reflection and reflexivity
Assumptions Positivist paradigm Interpretive paradigm
Ontology There is one reality outside us Reality is multiple and different
from different angles
Epistemology Focus on objective material Focus on subjective material
(numbers) (words)
Methodology Deductive Inductive
Methods Quantitative (experiments , Qualitative (natural setting)

surveys, tests)
Reporting Concise, numerical Rich description
Role of researcher Independent, stay from afar Be invovling in the research

process

Interpretive paradigm
• Concerned with understanding the world as it is from subjective experiences of individuals.
• Use meaning (instead of measurement) oriented methodologies, such as interviewing or
participant observation, that rely on a subjective relationship between the researcher and
subjects.
• Interpretation is inherent to a key understanding in qualititve research
• Any interpretation happens in the context or background of beliefs , customs or traditions
Contrast to positivist 's idea of objective and positivistic paradigm
12 Schwandt, T.A. (2007). Judging interpretations. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR EVALUATION , no. 114, Summer 2007 Faculty of Economics and Business
Role of the researcher
Source : Grant, BM, & Giddings, LS (2002). Making sense of methodologies: A paradigm framework for
13 the novice researcher. Contemporary Nurse : a Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession , 13 (1), 10– Faculty of Economics and Business
28.
Qualitative research design

• A qualitative research design is the logical plan that links the qualitative data to be
collected, to the initial research questions of study and ultimately to the conclusions to
be drawn.
• Articulating a "theory" about the initial set of questions to be answered and the ultimate
set of conclusions (answers) about these questions helps to strengthen a research
design when doing case study research.
• Laying the groundwork for generalizing the findings from the case study to other
situations, by making theoretical rather than statistical generalizations.

Designing a qualitative study (Maxwell 1998)
• Purpose:
• Why are you doing the study?
• Conceptual context
• What do you think is going on?
• Research questions
• What do you want to understand?
• Methods
• What will you actually do?
• Quality
• How might you be wrong?
16
• Who or what do you want to gain knowledge about?
Th • Which phenomenon do you want to study?
em • What would you like to be able to say something about at the end of your studies (conclusion)?
e
Pro • What exactly is the problem?

ble
m
Pur • Why do you want to study this?

po
se
• What research question do you want to answer?

RQ

Theme/phenomenon in HRM
• What (who or what) do you investigate? to draw conclusion at the end of the study?
Individuals Eg . Employees’ attitudes, experiences, job satisfaction,

decision-making
Groups Eg . Opinions or activities of one group of people, e.g. a team/a
deparment in an organization, an firm...
Concepts Eg . What do the concepts of ‘a job, a calling and a career'
mean; what does the concept of ‘an ideal' mean and how does
it take shape in practice ...
Processes Eg . What happens in the socialization process of new
employees; the change process in one organization …
Structures Eg . An organization, hierarchy, system…
….

Exercise
• What is the theme/ phenomenon in the articles?
• Doldor, E., & Atewologun, D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to
ethnic stigma among professionals. Human Relations, 74 (6), 892–921.
• Mikkelsen, EN (2021). Looking over your shoulder: Embodied responses to contamination in the
emotionally dirty work of prison officers. Human Relations.
• Look at for this especially the abstract and the introduction

Example
Doldor, E., & Atewologun, D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to ethnic stigma
among professionals. Human Relations, 74 (6), 892–921.
Problem definition
• What's the problem?
• Based on theory, earlier research, problems in practice, own
experiences ...
• What we already know?
• What we don’t know but is important to know ?
• Problem gap

Problem Statement: Exercise
Mikkelsen, EN (2021). Looking over your shoulder: Embodied responses to contamination in the emotionally dirty
• What is the problem stated in the articles?

• View the abstract
• View the introduction
• Indicate in each paragraph of the introduction which is the most important sentence.
Can you formulate the problem based on that?
• You can find additional information in the literature section

Example
Mikkelsen, EN (2021). Looking over your shoulder: Embodied responses to contamination in the
Purpose of the research
Why do you want to do the research?
• Descriptive
• Describing the nature or form of a (complex) phenomenon
• Explanatory
• Explaining the underlying mechanisms of a phenomenon
• Generative
• Generating new theory or expanding existing theory
• Evaluative
• Evaluating why something works or not

Purpose of the research: possible script
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenon (strategy of inquiry, such as ethnography, case study, or other type)
study is (was? will be?) to understand how Romanian professionals use identity response to stigma in the UK
(understand? describe? develop? discover?) (central phenomenon being studied) (the participants, such as the
individual, groups, organization) (research site). At this stage in the research, the ___________ (central phenomenon
being studied) will be generally defined as ___________ (provide a general definition).
25 Source: Creswell, 2018 Faculty of Economics and Business

Exercise
• What is the objective of the research stated in the articles ?
Doldor, E., & Atewologun, D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to ethnic stigma
among professionals. Human Relations, 74 (6), 892–921.
Mikkelsen, EN (2021). Looking over your shoulder: Embodied responses to contamination in the emotionally dirty
Look at for this especially in the abstract and the introduction

Research question
• Research questions specifically give what the researcher wants to know coming across the phenomenon
• Some tips for qualitative research

• Start with how and why
• Avoid causal language as cause, effect, or influence, ..
• A research question is not set firmly and can be modified during the investigation
• Elements in one research question

(1) how, why (2) central phenomenon (3) participants (4) site
Examples :
What does employability mean for theater actors in Flanders ?
How did students experience career choices during the COVID-19 pandemic ?

Exercise
• How do the authors formulate their research question?
1- This article examines how Romanian professionals in the UK make sense of,
and respond to, ethno-cultural stigma
2- What kind of material work practices do workers set up to avoid
contamination, and which bodily demands are required to resist it?
The research question stands often in the introduction but sometimes also in the literature section or the
methodology

Example
Doldor , E., & Atewologun , D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to
ethnic stigma among professionals. Human Relations , 74 (6), 892–921.
Example
Various approaches to qualitative
research

Approaching qualitative research
• Narrative research:
• begins with a conceptual question derived from existing knowledge
• explore this question through the narratives of people whose
experience might illuminate the question
• Phenomenology:
• Descriptive study of how individuals experience a phenomenon
• Often searching for commonalities across individuals
• Grounded theory:
• inductive development of a theory
• which is ‘grounded’ directly in the empirical data
32
Approaching qualitative research
• Ethnography:
• Long term investigation of a group (often a culture)
• based on immersion and, optimally, participation in the group
• Case study:
• exploration of a single entity or phenomenon bounded by time and
activity (e.g. program, event, institution, group)
• using variety of data collection procedures: quantitative and
qualitative data
33
Approaches: purpose and data
Narrative Phenomenology Grounded Ethnography Case study
research theory
Focus life of persons The essence of one Theory to develop A group that a A deep/rich
experience to culture shares description and
understand describe and analysis of one or
understand more cases
Unit of analysis One or more Various persons with a An (inter) action or A group with one A event, program
persons shared experience process involving shared culture activity in a setting
several persons
Problem statement Stories of individual The essence of one Theory to distract Shared cultural In depth
and goal experiences to take phenomenon describe from the ideas and patterns of a group understanding one
and understand experiences of describe and or more cases
respondents interpret
Data collection Interviews and Mainly interviews, Mainly interviews Observations and Multiple sources as
documents focus groups but interviews and observations ,
sometimes also possibly also other interviews, focus
documents and material ( e.g. groups, documents
observations documents)
34 Source: based on Creswell & Creswell, 2018 Faculty of Economics and Business
Approaches: results
Narrative Phenomenology Grounded Ethnography Case study
research theory
Result Stories display on Show how the Theory to develop The culture The case expanded
different ways e.g. _ phenomenon became on the basis of descriptive and describe and then
narrative pieces , experienced based on codes and cultural themes and central themes
complete stories , .. significant statements ; categories; patterns analyze ahv deepen
the meaning of themes theoretical model quotes
discuss and possibly
propositions to
describe
Discussion and Opinions and stories The essence of the The theoretical A cultural portrait General indicate the
conclusion interpret phenomenon to contribution deepen sketch meaning of the case
describe explanations or
patterns to display
35 Source: based on Creswell & Creswell, 2018 Faculty of Economics and Business
Exercise
How did students experience career choices during the COVID-19 pandemic?
• What is the phenomenon, problem statement, goal and approach you plan to
have in order to investigate the RQ?
• Consider how you plan to conduct the research topic if this topic has been
allocated to you?

Any question ?

Part 2
Frank Ma
Phenomenon
Qualitative research :
An iterative process Issue
Research purpose
Research question
Research design
Data collection
Data analysis
Reporting

Setting and sample

The qualitative sample
• Targeted sample
• Not random sampling
• Information-rich cases (persons, groups, organizations , ..)
• must relevant aspects of the subject include
• variation depends on the question and purpose of the research
41 Source : based on Mortelmans . Available on Toledo Tutorial research skills Faculty of Economics and Business
Sampling methods (1)
What criteria do you use for your sample?

• Typical case
• 'the normal one situation' map to take
• Eg . Studying burnout in ' normal ' companies
• Homogeneity
• Similar  looking Unpleasant commonality
• Eg . Studying burnout in SMEs
• Heterogeneity or maximum variation
• Different  looking unpleasant variation
• Eg . Studying burnout in small, medium and large businesses
Sampling methods (2)
• Critical case
• What kind this case, persons, groups .. applies, will also for other(s) apply
• e.g. _If you think that pressure plays an great role in burnout, you study a
organization in which pressure is large , e.g. an ICU in hospital
• Extreme or anomalous case
• Unusual or extreme manifestation of the phenomenon
• Eg . Studying burnout in a company with extremely high burnout figures
• Intensity
• Contains a lot of information but is not extreme
• Eg . Company that a lot of attention spends to burnout

Sampling
How do you choose and achieve your possible respondents (individuals , organizations..)?
• Random
• Random selection out an group that complies to criteria
• Choose one at random number of SMEs
• Pragmatic
• Selection based on practicality arguments(e.g. via contacts, ..)
• Choose certain SMEs because your people know those who work
• Snowball
• Respondents to reach new ' names ' _
• Ask to the first SME you study, or them contacts of other SMEs to report
• Opportunistic
• ‘ read out chance '
• An SME asks for one study at doing to burnout
Exercise
• Which sampling method and sampling can be found in the listed articles ?
Doldor, E., & Atewologun, D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to
ethnic stigma among professionals. Human Relations, 74(6), 892–921.
Look at for this especially in the methodology

Example
Doldor , E., & Atewologun , D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to
ethnic stigma among professionals. Human Relations , 74 (6), 892–921.
Data collection

Forms of data collection
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Observations
• Documents
• Other media

Forms of data collection
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Observations
• Documents
• Other media

Interviews

Interviews
Semi-
Structured Unstructured
structured
Captured script Interview protocol Topic list
Standardized (often) closed to ask Open questions on which can become Topics
asked further
Uniformity Customized Spontaneously
Questionnaire

Paradigms
Positivist paradigm Interpretive paradigm
Focus Facts Meaning and experiences
Researcher Neutral objectively Empathetic involvement with the

interviewee

Clean language interview: illustration
Tosey , P., Lawley, J., & Meese, R. (2014). Eliciting Metaphor through Clean Language: An Innovation in Qualitative Research.
53 British Journal of Management , 25 (3), 629–646. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12042 Faculty of Economics and Business
Practical tips: order of questions
Initial questions What has your career been like so far ?

In-depth to ask Key questions What does to work for you currently ?
Has this ever been different? Would you like to
work again?
Follow-up questions Verification Do I understand correctly that …?

Ask further Can you tell me more about that? When you
said__,what exactly do you mean? …
Follow up Can you give an example about ___?
Final questions To finish Still something else different in your career that is
important to mention ?

Practical tips: types of questions
Experience and behavioral what a person has done or will What is your main job here?
questions doing
Asking for opinions and what a person thinks about one How do you feel about the idea that
values subject people must work?
Asking about feelings Unpleasant feelings and emotions How do you feel in your first job?
Knowledge questions get facts about a subject at know Which benefits to get job seekers ?
at come
Asking about sensory some people to have seen, When you walk into the ICU , what
perceptions touched, tasted, smelled do you see?
Background questions as age, gender, education What did you study?
levels, ..

Practical tips: wording
• Ask open questions (not yes/no questions )
• Ask questions around one theme at a time
• Ask no leading or fishing questions
• Make sure you are not biased in a way you lead or force the answer you
want
• Ask using clear language
• Adjust your language to the respondent
• Avoid difficult terms and jargon

Practical tips: how to behave as researcher
• Be organized
• Be on time
• Approximately how long the interview will be shall to last
• Know your protocol
• Respect the agreed time
• Take notes
• Respect your respondent

• Be polite (e.g. Is the address you quite appropriate?)
• Informed consent
• If you want the interview record, first ask if the respondent agree to do so
• Please explain what if any next steps in the research and what will happen to the data to happen
• Make contact
• Send a thank-you email afterwards
Interviews: extra
• For those who are interested:
• Toledo community Tutorial research skills Economics and Business

Sciences
• https://feb.kuleuven.be/eng/student-platform/ppt/information-literacy-and-research-
skills

Interview protocol example:
RQ: How did students in community needs colleges experience career choices?
• Opening questions
- How old are you?
- What is your highest diploma obtained?
- What is your political preference?
• Key questions
- How do you feel when you think about work? For example, do you think this is important to be able to
live independently?
- What do you think about work?
- To what extent is it feasible for you to work?
- How do you estimate your chances of finding work, of working?
- Do you think employers look at your competencies and experience in the same way as you do?
- Have you ever had the impression that you have been judged unfairly?

Exercise
• Think of a qualitative research topic of master's thesis you have seen in the
system
• Design a semi-structured interview protocol for the topic
• Consider the RQ, interview approach, setting and sample…

Focus groups

Focus groups
• Little group discussion
• Led by a moderator who interacts stimulates
• Discussion is about one specifically subject
• Group dynamics
• Interaction between participants to better understand the topic at to get
• In addition to the content of the conversation, there is also the interaction between
the participants part of the analysis (what will be said and how it is said said )

Focus groups versus interviews
63 Source : Hennink , 2007 Faculty of Economics and Business

Focus groups: purpose
• Exploratory
• When few is known about one subject (to indicate the subject or a population better at to learn know )
• Eg. Focus group with students and teachers for insight at gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of
online lessons
• Explanatory
• To express the views or experiences of one certain group better at to understand
• Eg. Focus group with students who get high scores for their study method at discuss
• Evaluative
• To ensure the quality of a service , program or initiative to estimate
• Focus group with HW students to discuss how they evaluate
• Mixed methods
• Pretest
• Eg . Focus group as input for questionnaire development
• Posttest
• Eg . Focus group on survey results of educational evaluations at discuss
64 Based on Hennink , 2007 Faculty of Economics and Business

Focus groups: size
• About 4-8 participants
• > 10 participants
• Difficult to discuss at moderate
• < 4 participants
• Hard to find one discussion at to have
Role of Researcher (s):

• Moderator
• Observer

Focus group: order of questions
66 Source : Hennink , 2014 Faculty of Economics and Business

How did students experience online teaching during the
COVID-19 pandemic?
• Opening questions:
• Ice breaker
• Eg. Can I ask everyone to share with us your name and something you love to do in your free time?
• Introductory questions:
• Introduce subject to the phenomenon of interests
• Eg. Have you mainly received (or given) lessons via live streaming or recording?
• Transition questions:
• Direct the discussion towards the key questions
• Eg. Can you say about your general experiences with the online lessons?
• Key questions:
• Ask essential questions of the study
• Eg. What were the most important learning experiences while taking / teaching online lessons? Which factors did your
learning experiences stimulate you?
• Final questions
• Settle matters that were missing and close up
• Eg. Finally, there is still something that you would want add about your experiences during online classes? Of
everything we have today to have discussed, what is for you the most important?

Exercise
• Which forms of data collection has been used in the articles ?
Doldor, E., & Atewologun, D. (2021). Why does it work when you can dodge it? Identity responses to
ethnic stigma among professionals. Human Relations, 74(6), 892–921.
Look at for this especially in the methodology

Getting practical
Getting practical…
• Need for a solid theoretical framework

• Clearly define all central concepts
• Figure representing conceptual framework
• Useful for preparing questionnaire and coding scheme
• Prepare your qualitative study protocol
• Carefully prepare the cases

• Careful selection
• Gather what you can beforehand
• Brochures, website information
70
Getting practical…(2)
• Qualitative study protocol includes:

• Determination of the data gathering process
• Which cases/ participants?
• Level of analysis
• Site/ participant selection criteria
• # (for MBA thesis: around12-13 interviews)
• Which documents?
• Interview protocol
• Interviews can range from informal to highly structured
• Semi-structured: open-ended questions
• Structured: telephone interviews
71
• Interview protocol
• Prepare your interview questions
• Can evolve:
• early interviews: very broad questions
• Later on: questions more tailored towards type of informant (dig deeper)
• Always start from background information interviewee
• Logical to start from general, easy questions
• Gradually move towards more abstract, evaluative questions
• Getting ready for the interview
• Get an appointment (can take some time !!!)
• Send a short notice to the attention of the interviewees: clearly
inform your interviewee about what to expect (broad topic, timing)
• Prepare your recorder/mp3
72
• Do the interviews (record them)

• Make overviews of the characteristics of the
interviewees/ cases
• Start with the data reduction process
• Contact and document summaries
• Prepare literal interview transcripts (takes some days)
73
Getting practical (5)
• Don’t forget the importance of section ‘research

method’
• Explain what was done, choices made
• Selection criteria for cases
• List all cases (table: size, age… useful descriptive data)
• Complete overview of sources:
• Talked to : (function, background, timing of interview)
• List of all documents
74
Any question?

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Research methodology HRM

2 Faculty of Economics and Business

Choosing and Review literature Formulate research

Data collection Data analysis Reporting

4 Faculty of Economics and Business

6 Faculty of Economics and Business

7 Faculty of Economics and Business

8 Faculty of Economics and Business

Doing qualitative research would be the preferred method when

• (1) the main research questions are "how" or "why" questions;

• (2) a researcher has little or no control over behavioral events; and

9 Faculty of Economics and Business

• Rather than by mathematical and statistical procedures, qualitative researchers use

Methods Quantitative (experiments , Qualitative (natural setting)

Role of researcher Independent, stay from afar Be invovling in the research

11 Faculty of Economics and Business

Contrast to positivist 's idea of objective and positivistic paradigm

14 Faculty of Economics and Business

15 Faculty of Economics and Business

Pro • What exactly is the problem?

Pur • Why do you want to study this?

• What research question do you want to answer?

17 Faculty of Economics and Business

Individuals Eg . Employees’ attitudes, experiences, job satisfaction,

18 Faculty of Economics and Business

• Look at for this especially the abstract and the introduction

19 Faculty of Economics and Business

21 Faculty of Economics and Business

• What is the problem stated in the articles?

22 Faculty of Economics and Business

24 Faculty of Economics and Business

25 Source: Creswell, 2018 Faculty of Economics and Business

Look at for this especially in the abstract and the introduction

26 Faculty of Economics and Business

• Some tips for qualitative research

• Elements in one research question

27 Faculty of Economics and Business

28 Faculty of Economics and Business

31 Faculty of Economics and Business

36 Faculty of Economics and Business

37 Faculty of Economics and Business

39 Faculty of Economics and Business

40 Faculty of Economics and Business

What criteria do you use for your sample?

43 Faculty of Economics and Business

Look at for this especially in the methodology

45 Faculty of Economics and Business

47 Faculty of Economics and Business

48 Faculty of Economics and Business

49 Faculty of Economics and Business

50 Faculty of Economics and Business

Captured script Interview protocol Topic list

51 Faculty of Economics and Business

Researcher Neutral objectively Empathetic involvement with the

52 Faculty of Economics and Business

Initial questions What has your career been like so far ?

Follow-up questions Verification Do I understand correctly that …?

54 Faculty of Economics and Business

55 Faculty of Economics and Business

56 Faculty of Economics and Business

• Respect your respondent

• Toledo community Tutorial research skills Economics and Business

58 Faculty of Economics and Business