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Understanding Research Methods in Management

This research discusses the purpose of research in management, explores different perspectives on management, and delves into various research approaches and designs. It also examines the contrasting philosophies of positivism and social constructionism and highlights the importance of research issues and context.

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Understanding Research Methods in Management

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  1. Mgt 540 Research Methods There’s lies, damn lies, and statistics” Benjamin Disreli, popularized by Samuel Clements (Mark Twain)

  2. Purpose of Research? • Increase understanding • Create order out of chaos • Make sense of everyday occurences • Improve decisions • Function of “Science” • Explain and predict

  3. Influences on Research?

  4. Research Issues • Access • Issues of Power • Ethics • Personal versus Private • Deceit • Utilization

  5. What is Management • What are the implications for research? • Is it what Organizations do? • Is it how results are accomplished? • Is it what individuals do? • Is it how they do what they do?

  6. Management has been viewed through … • Classical View • Functions of Management • Taylor, Fayol, etc. • Decision Theory • Analytical techniques • Simon, Cyert & March • Rise of quantitative techniques

  7. Management has been viewed through … • Work-Activity (Behavioral) • Mintzberg • Managing time and interpersonal skills • Competencies • Livingston, Peters and Waterman • Critical • Shotter, Weick • Dynamic, social-construction

  8. Philosophical Foundations • Ontology • Being (existence) • What is it we’re investigating • Is it “real” • Is it “rational” • Epistemology • Nature of knowledge and understanding • How do we investigate? • Why?

  9. Is Management Art or Science? • Absent of clear boundaries • Eclectic • Boundary spanning • Power based • Action / Results oriented

  10. Types of Research • Pure (esoteric) Research • Theory • Discovery • (e.g. Hawthorne Study) • Invention • (e.g. TQM) • Reflection • (e.g. Herzberg’s motivation framework) • Dissemination • Peer review / critique

  11. Types of Research (cont.) • Empirical Research • Observation or experiment • Verifiable or provable • Applied • What and why • Action Research • Process of research induces change • Ideally, open-ended • No finite solutions

  12. Approaches to Research • Qualitative (subjective / interpretive) • Distinctions based on qualities • Comparisons based on qualities • Quantitative (objective / rational) • Expressed or expressible as a quantity. • Of, relating to, or susceptible of measurement. • Of or relating to number or quantity There is a very good glossary of statistical terminology at: http://writing.colostate.edu/references/research/glossary/

  13. Researcher’s Personal Qualities Pg. 20

  14. Practical Management Research • Must be timely • Address a topic of importance • Effective promotion & distribution (for acceptance) • Relate to needs and concerns of managers • Effective presentation • For practical application

  15. Research Focus

  16. Designing Research • Statement of focus (main question) • Relationship to previous work & existing state of knowledge • Summary of the research design • Identification of what data • Discussion of how data will be gathered • Explanation of how data will be interpreted • Tie to research question) • Identify practical value of research • Discussion of limitations (problems)

  17. Research Philosophies • Positivist View • Knowledge based on observed facts • Independence • Value Freedom • Objective criteria • Causality • Hypothesis and deduction • Operationalization • Reductionism • Generalization • Cross-Sectional analysis

  18. Contrasting Positivism and Social Constructionism p. 30

  19. Ontologies and Epistemologies p. 33

  20. Methodological Differences

  21. Research Design Choices • How research topic is determined? • How research topic is explored?

  22. Research Design Matrix p. 57

  23. Research Issues • Context • Global (Environmental) setting • Resource distribution • Military Model • Structured (ideal for resource rich) • Private Agent • Independent action, opportunistic • Investigative • Concealment justified • Appropriate technology • Adjusted for prevalent technologies

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