Interviewing

Types of Interviews Structured Depth Semistructured Usually with a structured questionnaire For example, interviewees might be asked: How would you rate the usefulness of KMS in your company: excellent, good, fair, or poor? Depth One or two issues covered in great detail What’s it like working here? Further questions from the interviewer would be based on what the interviewee said and would consist mostly of clarification and probing for details Semistructured Open ended questions

Semi-Structured Interviews Use open ended questions that define the area to be explored the interviewer or interviewee may diverge in order to pursue an idea in more detail. What do you think good health is? How do you consider your own health?, and so on.

Types of Questions Behavior or experience Opinion or belief Feelings Knowledge Sensory Background or demographic

Developing Questions Brainstorm your questions Put down as many as occur to you Then review and reorganize them Put questions together that are essentially the same (? redundancy) Group them into the topics they seem to relate to Can use sub-questions that might provide more detail in area of interest if respondent does not cover Identify the narrative sequence – how questions and topics lead one into the other.

Covering all Topic Areas Think about what information you need the respondent to discuss in order to complete your assignment May want to develop check list and associated questions for all topics that need to be covered. Example: One of your areas covered in your assignment is assess the fit of KM system with the Nonaka Knowledge Creation Cycle. Question: I’d like you to describe a recent successful knowledge management initiative. What were expected benefits of the system? Can you describe the different components and how they were used? Person will describe system If they do not cover part of system that includes phases of model, then you need to ask questions to check for this information If they cover in description, then you can check off and do not need to ask question

Developing Questions How ‘sayable’ is this question? Does it sound natural? If it is hard to say, then it is likely to be hard work for the interviewee to understand. Clarity is often linked to economy of words: the shortest questions work best sometimes just one word: why? Any question of more than a dozen words is almost certainly too long.

Questions to Avoid Biased questions questions that encourage respondent to answer in a certain way Don’t you agree that knowledge management systems are hard to implement? Revised: Have you been involved with implementation of a KMS that was not successful?

Questions to Avoid Two-in-one Questions A question that has more than one question embedded within it. Participants may answer one but not both, or may disagree with part or all of the question. Do you agree that campus parking is a problem and that the administration should be working diligently on a solution? Revised: Is campus parking a problem? (If the participant responds yes): Should the administration be responsible for solving this problem

Conduct a pilot Are you trying to cram too much into one interview? what seems to make questions work – productive and stimulating (or the reverse); the ‘feel’ of the interviewing process, particularly important if you are inexperienced; a sense of those elements which give an interview its characteristic tone and set the direction.

Conducting the Interview Initial contact, Actual Interview Set the stage Explain who you are Give your names and brief background Establish rapport Explain what your goals are What information are you interested in, what will be done with it This provides focus for interviewee Explain interview strategy, next steps Example: Jane will ask questions, others may ask follow ups, Matt and Damon will be taking notes

Recording the Interview Various ways of capturing interview content: Notes written at the time Notes written afterwards (as soon as possible) Audio taping MUST get permission at start of interview Make notes of your impressions after interview is completed

Probing Probing is about getting the respondent to tell you more about something where you sense there is more to be told Some techniques Clarifying Accuracy Reflecting

Clarifying People often think they are being clear when they are not They know what they mean and assume they will be understood There may be more to it than even they fully realize. ‘Clarification’ leads to reflection, exploration and expansion. How to ask for clarification? Use the words and phrases that are natural for you. Saying something simple like: ‘I’m not sure I’ve quite got that’ puts the interviewee in the situation of having to help you – quite different from being interrogated

Accuracy Factual recall may be a problem in itself even when the facts have a major significance People are usually better with the order of things than about when they happened Order may be important to an understanding of what they are telling you You can repeat events as you understand them ‘Let’s see if I’ve got things in the right order: First xxx . . . and then . . .’ This helps the respondent to understand and account for things as well as helps you to check understanding

Reflecting Reflecting is offering back, essentially in the interviewee’s own words, the key substance of what they have just said. However, the technique should only be attempted – and then in its simpler forms – once you feel confident about managing an interview Reflecting builds on what the interviewee is saying It shows awareness on the part of the interviewer of the significance of what has been said and steers the interviewee in a direction which is self determined (but interviewer guided)

Ending the Interview Thank them for their time Ask if they have any questions Give next steps 2nd interview - you may want to set up a time now Give yourself time to digest this interview and develop 2nd set of questions Send thank you note when interviews are concluded

Exercise Form pairs Take on role of knowledge journalist (interviewer) or subject matter expert (interviewee) and then switch Topic: Deciding on an undergraduate major Possible questions: How did you decide on what to do for your undergraduate degree? Whose advice did you seek? How would you advise someone to make this decision? Use probing techniques Try to identify at least one best practice or lessons learned Think about interviewing process - what was natural for you, what made you uncomfortable?

Reference Gillham, Bill Research Interviewing : The Range of Techniques. Berkshire, , GBR: McGraw-Hill Education, 2005. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uic/Doc?id=10161349&ppg=40