Participant Observation as Ethnography or Ethnography as Participant Observation in Organizational Research

Sandiford, Peter John

doi:10.1057/9781137484956.0031

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The reason why the authors selected universities that are in Rome is related to the way in which the authors collected the information. In fact, as asserted for the participant observation technique, participants tend to be physically and socially close to their research subjects, something that enables probing questioning when seeking an explanation of phenomena observed (Sandiford, 2015).…”

Section: Research Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

The traditional Italian Universities' reaction to the pandemic emergency: The role of the intellectual capital

Paoloni

Modaffari

Mattei

2021

JIC

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PurposeThe lockdown imposed to avoid the increase in the number of infections caused by the pandemic emergency declared in January 2020 has unavoidably compromised the normal functioning of the Universities. They have been forced to stop the operation of their traditional student-oriented activities. In this light, the present work aims to analyse how traditional Italian Universities continue to deliver services to their students during the emergency.Design/methodology/approachQualitative explorative research was done. The paper used a multiple case study focused on two main public universities located in Rome (Italy). The data was collected using action research with participant observation. The activities observed before and during the health emergency are those related to the second mission and their services.FindingsUntil the pandemic emergency arose, in the organizations analysed, the work was done traditionally. When the lockdown started the main instruments adopted to teach and provide the related services to students were the digital tools. Therefore, these devices represent how these organizations could immediately react to face the challenge arising from the impossibility to physically meet the students while continuing to support them in their educational path. Based on the findings obtained these universities fall into the “corporate entrepreneurship” definition.Research limitations/implicationsThe present work has managerial and academic implications. The academic implications can be summarized in two main points: the work (1) promptly analysed the changes necessary to overcome the problematics caused by the pandemic emergency; (2) contributes to the debate concerning the transfer of knowledge using digital tools and their relevance on the intellectual capital. One of the limits of the work is that only two Italian traditional universities are analysed and that the study focuses on universities located in a same city.Practical implicationsOn the other hand, in referent to managerial implications, this paper highlights how the corporate entrepreneurial view could be useful to support an inspected challenge that could happened in a certain historical period. Therefore, a real implementation of the entrepreneurial concepts is preferred.Originality/valueThe paper discussed an original and contemporary topic not yet investigated since it refers to the Universities' reaction to the pandemic emergency in 2020, with the focus on their ability to maintain the intellectual capital value and give more points that could be investigate in the future, as, e.g. a selection of more than three traditional universities or with a comparative case study, useful in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the decisions taken in different contexts, considering: (1) telematic universities and traditional universities; or (2) universities located in other countries. Another future line of enquiry could be to focus the analysis on the effective quality of the MOOCs applied at the universities' activities, using the students' opinions obtainable through OPIS (Rilevazione Opinione degli Studenti) or through direct interviews.

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Section: Research Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

The traditional Italian Universities' reaction to the pandemic emergency: The role of the intellectual capital

Paoloni

Modaffari

Mattei

2021

JIC

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“…The content analysis results also found low reporting of most other standards. Sandiford (2015) stated the volume of data to report may be a reason authors neglect to provide a detailed method section. We urge journal editors and publishers to offer higher word count space to researchers who conduct participant observation or mixed method research to support the reporting of details associated with each method.…”

Section: Reporting Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Participant Observation Method in Journalism: Designing and Reporting

Shin

Miller

2022

rev commun res

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The participant observation method involves numerous methodological competencies and procedures, yet no systematic research has been found to date that evaluates the qualitative practice. The method has played a foundational role in the field of journalism and is growing in use among researchers. Despite its contributions to knowledge about organizations, movements, and cultures, the procedures that encompass the method may be unfamiliar or unclear for some researchers according to the literature. The study analyzed journalism researchers’ reporting of methodological information in studies involving news contexts and assessed scholars’ adherence to methodological reporting best practices in 150 journal articles. The results showed participant observation researchers employed data trustworthiness techniques by primarily using qualitative formal interviews and they also provided site selection logic. The results, however, also showed evidence of methodological conceptual ambiguity when referring to participant observation method techniques and low reporting of several specific recommended techniques associated with participation observation. The narrative reflects our desire to help other researchers learn more about the method, while also encouraging methodological transparency to improve the collective understanding of the method. We put forth eight participant observation reporting recommendations rooted in anthropology and sociology to consider when reporting methodological practices. The hope is this introduction and the proposed measures will initiate discussions and support community around the practice of participant observation.

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“…being a temporary member of the studied group)". (Sandiford 2015) The role of the 'brought self' was evident when I, in my capacity as head of project, functioned as conceptualiser of the overall project; when my colleague Montrey and I set topic of the overall artwork, 'identity,' fed it, and shaped the way in which art an identity were introduced to our community; when we both formulated the calls for entry that invited the community to contribute to our artwork. (Figs.…”

Section: The Researcher Selvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

TransCoding - From `Highbrow Art' to Participatory Culture

Lüneburg¹

2018

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Participant Observation as Ethnography or Ethnography as Participant Observation in Organizational Research

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

The traditional Italian Universities' reaction to the pandemic emergency: The role of the intellectual capital

The traditional Italian Universities' reaction to the pandemic emergency: The role of the intellectual capital

A Review of the Participant Observation Method in Journalism: Designing and Reporting

TransCoding - From `Highbrow Art' to Participatory Culture

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