Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Dr Andrew Jenkins Insert date/name

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective This presentation will attempt to answer three questions: 1. Why is a knowledge and understanding of research philosophy important in management research? 2. What are the major research philosophies in management research? 3. What is Critical Realism and how does it affect the choice of research methods?

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Why is a knowledge and understanding of research philosophy important in management research?

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective A knowledge and understanding of research philosophy is important for a number of reasons: 1. It can help the researcher clarify the research strategy and select appropriate research methods 2. It can help the researcher identify limitations of particular approaches 3. It can help the researcher develop creative and innovative approaches to research (Easterby-Smith et al, 1997) Moreover, the consistency between the research philosophy, research questions and research methods is essential for any research project (Proctor, 1998)

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective But often, researchers view research philosophy with a great deal of anxiety It is the aim of this presentation to cast light on issues regarding research philosophy and to outline some of the major paradigms available to the management researcher

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Research is about solving a problem by obtaining information and investigating the unknown (Maylor and Blackmon, 2005). All research is based on assumptions about how the world is perceived and how it can best be understood In any type of research and field of study, the underlying research philosophy will determine the manner in which reality is viewed and the nature of knowledge related to the subject area. The term paradigm or perspective also relates to philosophy and, in a research context, refers to an underlying collection of beliefs about the components of a research area and how these fit together, how these can be researched and how discoveries can be interpreted (Wisker, 2001).

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective What are the major research philosophies in management research?

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Robson (1998) categorizes the philosophical approach to research as belonging to one of two standpoints or traditions: the positivistic (or hypothetico-deductive) tradition and the interpretive (or ethnographic) tradition. Similarly, Hussey and Hussey (1997) refers to two main research philosophies (or paradigms): positivist and phenomenological, which, itself can be considered a synonym of interpretivism. Robson (2002) discusses different approaches to research: the scientific approach (with a focus on positivism); relativist approaches and current views on social research such as constructivism, post-positivism, feminism and other emancipatory approaches.

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Maylor and Blackmon (2005, p.157) recognise six different research approaches: Positivism, Realism, Critical Realism, Interpretivism, Constructionism and Subjectivism. The approach, or epistemology, ontology and uses, adapted from Maylor and Blackmon (2005, p.157), and supplemented with information from Hart, 2001, p. 95*), is given in the following table

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Ontology concerns the study of being (Crotty, 1998) and the assumptions made about the nature and meaning of reality (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Lowe, 2002). Epistemology concerns the knowledge of being (Ackroyd and Fleetwood, 2000), the possibilities of obtaining knowledge about the world which is objective (Travers, 2001) and the assumptions of the best methods of inquiring about phenomena (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Lowe, 2002).

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective What is Critical Realism and how does it affect the choice of research methods?

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective The classical approach to research philosophy is to accept that there is either a subjective or objective reality But there are more options Positivism has many limitations as the social world is not the same as the natural world and measures used in natural science cannot adequately measure society Similarly, Subjectivism can frustrate the management researcher seeking truth and explanation of power relationships within the organisation Critical Realism is an increasingly influential paradigm The “critical” aspect is that we should be critical of the world around us However, Critical Realism is not a well understood paradigm

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective “Explanatory power” is always at the heart of a Critical Realists’ assumptions Positivists tend to focus on events Relativists tend to focus on experiences Critical Realists are neutral on the relationship between the real (entities, mechanisms), the actual (events) and the empirical (experiences) Critical Realists focus on change e.g. rhetoric versus reality Critical Realists believe in tendencies, not laws. The Critical Realism paradigm is particularly relevant where the attitudes, values and cultures of a group of people need to be conceptualised (Ackroyd and Fleetwood, 2000, p.19).

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Adopting a critical realist perspective has both ontological and epistemological implications. The ontological position adopted is neither fully objective nor subjective. The epistemological position for the critical realist will be critical. According to Ackroyd and Fleetwood (2000), critical realism assumes the existence of different entities which are independent of us and any investigation into them.

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Benton and Craib (2001, p.120-121) recognise four key features of critical realism: it assumes that something exists independently; it incorporates representation and the philosophy of reflexivity; it regards surface meaning as being potentially misleading and it is falliblist in that interpretation will be open to further correction in the light of new evidence. According to Thompson (2002, presentation), critical realists believe that “any methods are in principle capable of explanatory power. The focus is instead on broader issues of research design”.

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective The case study is an appropriate research method to use given the ontological and epistemological positions of using a Critical Realist paradigm. Moreover, the Case Study method can use both qualitative and quantitative methods (Walliman, 2006) which may be considered a strength Other methods, such as interviews and a survey, may also be used, depending on the research question to be answered (and, if appropriate, incorporated into the Case Study)

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Using a Critical Realist philosophy in management research has led this author to adopt a mixed-methods design in researching perceptions of age discrimination in employment as the use of a qualitative and quantitative research methodology results in a richness of detail not available from a focus on one of these methods alone (Jack and Raturi, 2006). Moreover, combining different methods can lead to a much more holistic view of the research topic and lead to a more rounded piece of research (Devine and Heath, 1999).

Research philosophy in Management Research: a Critical Realist perspective Researchers in the social sciences and management often collect data from a variety of different methods, including interviews, observation, experiments and surveys (Root, 1999). Indeed, the use of multiple methods can secure an in-depth understanding of a phenomenon (Denzin and Lincoln, 2003), such as age discrimination in employment. The mixed or multi-method approach was chosen as it provides a means for answering a variety of questions, generating comprehensive and rich data. Furthermore, according to Aldridge and Levine (2001), upon closer examination, all social research has both qualitative and quantitative elements.