Unusual Qualitative Research Practices in Management Sciences

Abstract

The qualitative method is an indispensable instrument for researchers who aim to adopt an open, indirect methodology for data collection. Only qualitative methods are capable of providing access to participants personal experiences and to the interpretation of their actions. This chapter aims to highlight the importance of qualitative methods for both researchers and professionals in the management sciences. It will present the theoretical and methodological contributions of two fieldwork methods applied to qualitative research in the management sciences, namely the ethnographic method, insofar as its application requires the use of several data collection materials, and the dyadic approach, which emphasized the link uniting two actors: how and why different transactions are created, supported, or avoided between the members of the duo. This chapter will start with a presentation of the main advantages of exploratory research, then it will outline the foundations of the ethnographic method and the dyadic approach, followed by an explanation of the data collection apparatus.