Research Methods – Qualitative II – Case Study IS6000 – Seminar 8 Research Methods – Qualitative II – Case Study

Methods for Qualitative Data We have seen examples of several different types of data – as well as different ways of analysing that data Although there are several methods, the Case Study is the one that you are likely to encounter most frequently Your own report is more likely to be a case study because it is relatively more simple Two other methods are introduced briefly

A case study is an empirical inquiry that: investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident (Yin, 2003) The case study is the most common form of qualitative research method in IS – as well as other disciplines

When To Use the Case Study Method? The case study is preferred in examining contemporary events, esp when you don’t want to manipulate people’s behaviour. Case studies rely on direct observation, and systematic interviewing. You cannot control what people do in case studies. You are studying real life – which does what it does, whether you like it or not. In case studies, we often ask ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ questions.

Case Study – Sample Research Questions How does IT enhance decision making in senior executives? Why do junior staff refuse to use email? How can we improve IT literacy in dinosaurs? How can an SME develop an effective e-business portal? How can we measure the success of this portal? Why is TaoBao a better platform than eBay in China? Why did eBay fail in China?! How can Wechat add value in the office?

Conducting Case Studies 1 Preparation for Data Collection The researcher should… be able to ask good questions (interview technique) be a good listener be flexible and adaptable to circumstances have a firm grasp of the issues being studied be unbiased by preconceived notions …for the specific context of the case study and organisation

Conducting Case Studies 2 The researcher must be able to make intelligent decisions about the data being collected. This will require knowledge about why the study is being done; what evidence is being sought; what variations can be anticipated what would constitute supportive or contrary evidence for any given proposition A Case Study could also include quantitative (survey) data – We’ll look at this next week

The protocol should include Case Study Protocol The protocol should include An overview of the case study project (project, substantive issues, relevant reading) Field procedures (how to gain access to interviewees, planning for sufficient resources, providing for unanticipated events, etc.) Case study questions about individuals, multiple cases, entire study, normative questions about policy recommendations and conclusions

Sources of Evidence for Case Studies There are six forms of evidence that could be collected Interviews Direct observations Participant observations Documentation Archival records Physical artifacts Colleting from multiple sources helps increase the reliability of that data

Interviews Case study interviews are usually open-ended Focused interviews can still be open-ended but involve following specific questions derived from the case study protocol More structured questions A structured interview would involve the sampling procedures and the instruments used in surveys (see next week’s class)

Direct Observations By making a field visit to the case study "site", the investigator is creating the opportunity for direct observations. You can’t do a case study if you don’t visit the research site! To increase the reliability of observational evidence, it is sensible to have two or more researchers, formally or casually. Each person should have a clear responsibility Each person will remember different things

Participant Observations The researcher may play a variety of roles within a case situation and may actually participate in the events being studied. The researcher (if an insider) may be able to gain access to events or groups that are otherwise inaccessible to investigation. However, researchers may be biased. An insider-researcher cannot also be an independent outsider. They could become a supporter or defender. Having both an outsider and an insider in the same research team can be an advantage

Documents, Archives & Artifacts Current organisational documents Policies, practices, templates Historical archive records Past practices, reports on past projects Artifacts include physical objects like certificates, awards, etc. These three forms of data are useful for corroborating evidence from other sources

Principles of Data Collection 1 Use multiple sources of evidence There are many opportunities to collect evidence from multiple sources And so address a broader range of historical and observational issues. By developing a holistic understanding of a case, you can triangulate findings better If different sources support the same conclusion, then the conclusion is stronger Also, it will be easier to ground a new theory from a richer data set

Principles of Data Collection 2 Create a case study database The lack of a formal database for most case study efforts is a major shortcoming of case study research. Four components should be contained in a case study database Notes (including interview data) Documents (corporate) Tabular materials (e.g. from surveys) Narratives (stories; diaries).

Principles of Data Collection 3 Maintain a chain of evidence This is to allow an external observer - the reader of the case study for example - to follow the derivation of any evidence from initial research questions to ultimate case study conclusions. It means that you need to know who said what If you are anonymising people, give them a codename, e.g. P45 or K13.

Data Collection - Summary The three principles are intended to make the data collection process as explicit and consistent as possible If you have good quality data (valid and reliable) then the following analysis is likely to produce better quality results In the end you need to be able to tell a persuasive story from your data

Analyzing Case Study Evidence Relying on theoretical propositions Propositions help to focus attention on some data and to ignore others to organize the entire case study and to define alternative explanations to be examined Developing a case description Develop a descriptive framework to organise the case study and identify types of event or process or interaction overall ‘patterns’ that could be used to explain why an implementation succeeded or failed

Standards of Case Study Excellence Uniqueness Did we learn new things? Success and failure are both OK. Completeness Nothing missing? Alternative perspectives considered What else might be happening? Are you certain your interpretation is correct? Sufficient evidence displayed Lots of examples and illustrations An engaging, attractive and readable style Enjoyable to read Persuasive examples

Ethnography “Ethnographic research is one of the most in-depth research methods possible” (Myers, 1999) The researcher is embedded at a research site Seeing and hearing what people say and do Obtaining a deep understanding of the organisation and its people and work context. Obtaining rich & detailed insights into the roles that information systems play Engaging in detailed, observational evidence gathering, including ‘participant observation’ and ‘informal social contact’. Like case studies, ethnographies also include interview data

Benefits 1 Depth. Intimacy. No other method allows the researcher to gain such depth or intensity in studying a phenomenon. Intimacy. By staying in ‘the field’ for an extended amount of time, the researcher can become invisible to the research subjects and so gain a degree of intimacy of understanding of the people, their work, routines, frustrations, politics, competing, relationships and dangers in the day-to-day organisational context.

Benefits 2 Challenges to accepted knowledge. When you are deep in the context, you start to question what you already know – if there is contradictory evidence An ethnography permits a ‘deeper-than-usual’ understanding of the problem – and so can lead to a new appreciation of that problem.

For Example Hughes et al. (1992) found that ‘good design principles’ were actually not good in all contexts Sometimes ‘best practices’ are actually negative or counter productive Orlikowski (1991) found that IT contributes to intensifying control in some contexts But we often imagine that IT will liberate us from control These findings were unexpected by the researchers and the prior literature. Perhaps today they are unsurprising?

CyberEthnography (Ward, 1999) Traditional ethnographic methods are designed for physical communities, but what about the virtual world? Cyber-ethnography (netnography) involves a study of online interactions The researcher has to be embedded online as a member of a community (an insider) The researcher engages in a dialogue with the online subjects – who ‘talk back’ The online subjects are much more involved than in a traditional ethnography

Practical Guidance 1 Field notes Participant observations, thoughts, reflections, interviews, feelings and questions Write them up regularly (within a few hours) – don’t rely on your memory, which is quickly swamped Keep them up to date and keep them detailed Something might seem very strange or odd at the beginning – yet later it makes a lot of sense when you know more.

Odd Findings Sherry Turkle is an American Psychologist who studies social media use She found that not only do we sleep with our phones, but we use them for almost everything We send messages at weddings – and at funerals We come to meetings, and then go online We come together as friends, and spend all the time online, together, but not together (!) Is this disturbing or normal?

Practical Guidance 2 Reflect! Review what you wrote, or thought On your ideas, impressions, feelings, thoughts Review what you wrote, or thought Comment on your reflections – explicitly Much of the data is observational and personal But if you don’t reflect on it, you may lose it Develop a way to manage data Indexes, classification schemes, summaries, etc. Same as for case studies

Action Research Action Research requires the researcher both to understand an organisational situation or phenomenon (like a case study) and to improve it (like a consultant) This requires quite deep knowledge of how people work and what they do (like an ethnography) It also requires the cooperation of the organisational ‘client’, since changes to org processes may be needed AR can take many weeks or longer to complete

Action Research May require qualitative and quantitative data Needs strong theoretical support Usually follows a process model Should follow clear principles and guidelines Should deliver clear practical and theoretical outcomes That benefit the organisation And contribute to scholarly knowledge

Simple Cyclical Process Model Client-Researcher Agreement After Susman &Evered, 1978; Davison et al., 2004

Summary The Case Study Method is useful for exploring How and Why questions in organisational contexts You can draw on a variety of qualitative and quantitative data to find out how people behave – and why You need to be accurate and precise – structuring your actions carefully. Don’t take short cuts. Make sure you document everything carefully

How Would you Try to Answer these Research Questions? How does IT enhance decision making in senior executives? Why do junior staff refuse to use email? How can we improve IT literacy in dinosaurs? How can an SME develop an effective e-business portal? How can we measure the success of this portal? Why is TaoBao a better platform than eBay in China? Why did eBay fail in China?!