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C24Johan Brink, IIE8 December 2010

Reflections and Critical thinkingLecture 10

23-04-18

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Agenda

• Review of Qualitative &. quantitative methods• Mixed methods• Reflections and critical thinking• Ethics

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Review quantitative

MethodsStructured interviewsQuestionnairesStructured observationContent analysis of text and

images

Hypothesis testing & statistical tools

Operationalization & constructs

Sample & populations

Reliability & Validity

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Review qualitative

MethodsSemi and unstructured interviewsEthnographyFocus groupsHistorical cases

Generate theory

Cases – authentic

Interpretations Grounded theory & codingNarrative, historical & hermeneutical approaches

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Qualitative and quantitative methods

However… it doesn’t need to be like this!

• There is a difference in how quantitative researchers usually writes and talks about their research processes!

• Do qualitative researchers really get a true contact with the social reality just by ‘being there’? How intrusive is the semi-structured interview?

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Distinctions between qualitative and quantitative

Behavior and meaningQuantitative often focus on behaviors –

what they doQualitative often focus on meaning – what

they think But in reality both paradigms can and do

capture a bit of both!

Testing vs. Generating theoriesBoth qualitative and quantitative can be

designed to test theories!Both qualitative and quantitative can be

designed to test theories!

Usage of numbersFor qualitative:Frequency of themes and constructs, Statistics in casesFor quantitative:Operationalisation and definitionsGeneralization to theories or populations

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Mixing methods

Epistemological versionIncompatible due to differences

in epistemological paradigms (Positivistic or Interpretative)

Technical version Mutually supportive, although

requiring different skills • Methodological triangulation• Facilitation – sequence– Providing hypothesis– Design quantitative research– Select cases– Fill in the gaps & nuances– Content and process• Complementarity -parallel

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Mediating the clash: Critical realism• An entity can exist

independently of our knowledge of it – its ‘real’ – However the social world is always mediated and thus subjective

• ‘The social world is reproduced and transformed in daily life’ – There are mechanisms that are real, but these mechanism are directly accessible – but only through their effects

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Reflections: Interpretations

InterpretationWhat do I see?Primary interpretationsMisunderstandingsUnclear tiesBiased dataIncomprehensibleSecondary interpretationsTheory pre-understandingLanguageAssumptions

ReflectionContext, History, Discourses…Critical theory What in the social world can be changed?

What can’t?

‘All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses’- Nietzsche

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Reflections: Critical thinking

A critical thinker• What is the real problem?• Which definitions are there?• Which assumptions are there?• Is there information lacking?• Who benefits?• Which relationships are there/

patterns?• Are there inconsistencies &

conflicting logics?• What would happen if

something is changed? (contra factual reasoning)

• Self awareness!• Multiple perspectives!

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Reflections: Theories

TheoryAs explaining the meaning, the

‘nature’As explaining the correspondence –

frequencies , relationships, cause & effects

As providing usability - applications

TheoriesGrand theoriesConflicting – incommensurability

Epistemological paradigmsPerspectives

ModelTheoreticalEmpirical

Accuracy

Simplicity

Generalizability

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Reflections: Evidence-Based Management

• What assumptions does the idea or practice make about people and organizations? What would have to be true about people and organizations for the idea or practice to be effective?

• Which of these assumptions seems reasonable and correct to you and your colleagues? Which seems wrong and suspect?

• Could this idea or practice still succeed if the assumptions turned out to be wrong?

• How might you and your colleagues quickly and inexpensively gather some data to test the reasonableness of the underlying assumptions?

• What other ideas or management practices can you think of that would address the same problem or issue and be more consistent with what you believe to be true about people and organizations?

In search of excellence: Lessons from best run companies

The myth of Excellence: Why great companies Never try to be the best at everything

Managing by Measuring: How to improve your organization’s performance through effective benchmarking

Managing with passion: Making the most of your job and your life

The quest for authentic power: Getting past past manipulation, control, and self-limiting beliefs

What would Machiavelli do? The ends justify the Meanness

Build to last: :Successful habits of visionary companies

Corporate failure by design: Why organizations are built to fail

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Reflections: Ethics

Implications for the subjects• Will this cause any harm?– What is harm? For whom?• Power and intrusive? – Invasion of privacy• Experiments and interfering?– Does the goal justify the means?• Covert strategies, deception &

observations

Confidentially agreements and anonymity

Openness

Conflicts of interestsIndependenceFinanciers?

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Answers to questions

• The feedback on the 15 December is optional – but we have reserved time

• Hand in the first version of T3, the proposal today 8 December at 24.00

• The Final version of the proposal on which you are graded to be handed in the 15 January!

• There will be 1 assigned student + one from faculty to comment on your proposal – however – I encourage you to read and participate in the informal discussions during the presentations

• Student 1 comment on student 2, student 2 on 3, 3 on 1• There are some students who still haven't responded!

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