Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Case Studies – An Approach to Theory Building

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide the research design of a meta-synthesis of qualitative case studies. The meta-synthesis aims at building theory out of primary qualitative case studies that have not been planned as part of a unified multisite effect. By drawing on an understanding of research synthesis as the interpretation of qualitative evidence from a postpositivistic perspective, this article proposes eight steps of synthesizing existing qualitative case study findings to build theory. An illustration of the application of this method in the field of dynamic capabilities is provided. After enumerating the options available to meta-synthesis researchers, the potential challenges as well as the prospects of this research design are discussed. Keywords synthesis of knowledge, research synthesis, qualitative case study research, theory building Case study research enables the study of contemporary organizational phenomena in a real-life setting with an in-depth, holistic study of few or single cases (e.g.

Are rigor and transparency enough? Review and future directions for case studies in technology and innovation Management

“…They can be underpinned by positivist and/or interpretive research philosophies and methods (Dubé and Paré, 2003). They can be used across different levels of analyses, to incorporate multiple sources of evidence (Stake, 1995), and to identify, define or refine concepts, constructs and variables and the relationships among them (Eisenhardt, 1989; Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007; Siggelkow, 2007; Yin, 2009; Hoon, 2013). Thus, they are useful for both theory building and testing (Bansal and Corley, 2012; Cornelissen, 2017).…”

Meta-Síntese da Publicação Científica de Tecnologia da Informação no Ensino Superior Contábil

“…A meta-síntese é uma metodologia oriunda de pesquisas internacionais, sendo mais utilizada e conhecida na área da saúde. As pesquisas nas demais áreas surgiram no final da década de 1990 pela Fundação Cochrane, que estabeleceu o "Qualitative Reserch Methods Working Group", que dá orientações metodológicas a pesquisadores que utilizam as revisões sistemáticas de acordo com os padrões definidos pela instituição (Hoon, 2013).…”

“…A meta-síntese foi utilizada como uma ferramenta metodológica para integrar as informações de conjuntos de estudos realizados separadamente sobre determinada intervenção ou área. Abrange tanto o processo analítico, quanto a interpretação dos resultados, possibilitando sintetizar e obter ampla compreensão conceitual (Hoon, 2013). Essas integrações vão além da soma das partes, uma vez que oferecem nova interpretação, que não pode ser encontrada em nenhum relatório primário, pois todos os artigos tornam-se uma única amostra (Hoon, 2013).…”

Qualitative Inquiry in Management: Methodological Dilemmas and Concerns in Meta‐Analysis

“…Finally, Hoon (), performed an interpretative ‘meta‐synthesis’ with 30 case studies on dynamic capabilities in management science. This study is interesting because it is situated in management science, concerned with a fairly recent construct from strategy.…”

“…With few exceptions, qualitative outcome from the primary studies is synthesized through aggregation by means of positivist, quantifying and/or objectivizing processes. Despite the afore‐mentioned lively methodological discussion (essentially in the health care field), there is as yet no full standard method for synthesizing qualitative research qualitatively , either through interpretation (Gioia and Pitre, ) or through hermeneutic or dialectic processes that ‘translate studies into one another’ (Hoon, : 524) with the aim of drawing cross‐study conclusions and/or building meta‐theory.…”