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Qualitative IS Research

The Role of Qualitative Research

in Information Systems

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Qualitative IS Research

• Qualitative Data: Interviews, Documents, Observations collected to understand and (hopefully) explain social phenomena.

• Qualitative Research registers a shift away from Quantitative Research - from technological to organizational investigations.

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Qualitative IS Research

• Needed to do Qualitative Research:

• (1) Research Method,

• (2) Research Technique,

• (3) Analysis Technique,

• (4) Interpretive and Technique.

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Qualitative IS Research

• Qualitative Research Method:

• (1) Action Research

• (2) Single or Multiple Case

• (3) Ethnography

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Qualitative IS Research

• Objective: Understanding phenomena from the participants’ point of view, i.e., from within the action’s context.

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Philosophical Perspective

• Positivism: Reflects the idea that reality is objective, not influenced by whether the researcher is present or not, most if not all phenomena can be studied using methods from the physical sciences.

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Philosophical Perspective

• Post Positivism: Reality is not objective, reality is defined (constructed?) by consensus, reality is defined contextually, many phenomena cannot be studied with the methods of the physical sciences, knowledge arises from interpretive activity.

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Philosophical Perspective

• Critical Social Theory: People are dominated by societal circumstances, people are constrained in their action by social rules, people are ideologically constrained, people are alienated.

• Critical Social Theory: Purpose is to make people see how they are dominated and how to free themselves from domination.

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Philosophical Perspective

• Janson, Brown, & Taillieu study of the Colruyt Company exemplifies the use of Critical Theory in Case Study Research.

• Questions: Are Colruyt employees empowered, liberated, in charge or are they alienated, oppressed, out of touch, unable to direct their destiny? What are your thoughts?

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Research Methods

• Action Research Methods: Scientists join a group in search of solutions for a problem. This often requires the researchers to be experts concerning the problem.

• Researcher/Analyst may join a group consisting of analysts, system users, system owner to extract user information requirements.

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Research Methods

• Case Study: Researcher observes and/or interviews individuals belonging to a problematic situation. The number and type of individuals interviewed, the questions asked, and the documents investigated determine the outcome and validity of the study.

• Janson, Brown, & Taillieu case study of Colruyt.

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Research Methods

• Case studies can focus on one company or organization or on multiple organizations.

• Janson, Brown, Taillieu is a one-case study.

• Lacity & Wilcox is a multiple case study.

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Data Collection

• Whenever possible audio tape your interviews with informants. Ask permission before interviewing - transcribe the taped interview into text.

• Use a good omni directional mike for recording and a transcriber machine for turning tape into text.

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Case Analysis

• The Use of Hermeneutics - uncover meaning.

• Uncover meaning by interpreting text as a whole and individual parts. Alternate between the two actions. Reading the whole suggests meaning for the parts - next, reading the parts suggests revised meaning for the whole - next, etc.

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Case Analysis

• Actually, one can go on for ever alternating between whole and parts - it is judgment call when to stop.

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Analysis

• Semiotics - the science of signs -

• Content analysis

• Discourse analysis

• Speech act analysis

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Speech Act?

• Speech can be an Act!

• Close the door!

• Don’t you think it is drafty in here?

• I hereby christen you the Titanic!

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Speech Act

• Five Types:

• Assertive

• Directive

• Commissive

• Declarative

• Expressive

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Speech Act

• Top Down versus Bottom Up Classifications:

• Top Down - Searle

• Bottom Up - Balmer & Brennenstuhl

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Speech Act

• Reference: Janson & Woo in an article evaluating knowledge acquisition techniques.

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The Colruyt Case Study

• What is the issue?

• What are the findings?

• Do the conclusions or findings make sense?

• Would you want to work for this company?

• Why or why not?