This paper presents an overview of different research paradigms that are used in research. The aim of this article focuses on qualitative research. Qualitative research has gaining momentum for the past decade or so. Unfortunately, not many people fully understand how to conduct a well designed qualitative research. It is hoped that this article can provide some guidance and assistance to those who wish to embark o qualitative research.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/ authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper aims to explore the need for organizations to adopt organizational development (OD) programs on a continuous basis as a way of coping with a changing business environment. Emphasis is to be laid on organizational learning due to its significance in enhancing organizational change and development.Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on an extensive literature review.Findings -A wide range of organizational development (OD) intervention strategies exists. There is a need to adopt a coordinated approach in applying OD efforts for organizations to reap maximum benefits. Research limitations/implications -This paper is theoretical and is not based on empirical findings.Practical implications -Several recommendations are included in the paper. It is envisaged that adoption of the recommendations can assist an organization to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.Originality/value -The paper identifies several OD frameworks that can be tested in future research projects.

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