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Enacting reflexivity in the process of strategy researching
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2010-06-11
Abstract
Empirical studies following a pProcess oriented approach seek to understand the "how" and "why" of organizational phenomena which evolve over time. Since the central part of studying processes is about understanding tacit, embedded and contextual phenomena and taken for granted assumptions a variety of perspectives and complementing approaches for the essential sense making could be expected. However the process oriented methodology focuses very much on traditional research methods like interviews and participating observations. This has been frequently criticized but few alternatives have been developed.
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a complimentary method which is inspired by a social system theory perspective to doing research on organizing and strategizing. The "Learning Journey" is a specific combination of an insider/outsider research approach. Using practitioners in different roles not only as passive informants but as research partners and gaining thereby additional observations as well as sense making impulses elements the Learning Journey addresses some of the critiques which have been put to the existing methods. By introducing the Learning Journey as an additional method for studying processes in organizations we would like to complement existing methods on case study research, ethnographic approaches as well as some reflective approaches in action research. In addition to being just another method enriching the methodological repertoire the Learning Journey in addition raises some interesting fundamental questions in regard to doing process oriented research
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a complimentary method which is inspired by a social system theory perspective to doing research on organizing and strategizing. The "Learning Journey" is a specific combination of an insider/outsider research approach. Using practitioners in different roles not only as passive informants but as research partners and gaining thereby additional observations as well as sense making impulses elements the Learning Journey addresses some of the critiques which have been put to the existing methods. By introducing the Learning Journey as an additional method for studying processes in organizations we would like to complement existing methods on case study research, ethnographic approaches as well as some reflective approaches in action research. In addition to being just another method enriching the methodological repertoire the Learning Journey in addition raises some interesting fundamental questions in regard to doing process oriented research
Language
English
Keywords
process research
innovative research methods
reflexivity
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Book title
Constructing Identity in and around Organizations
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Publisher place
Oxford
Start page
22
Event Title
2nd International Symposium on Process Organization Studies (PROS)
Event Location
Rhodos, Griechenland
Event Date
11.-13.06.2010
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
70123