Business Commons^™

Engaged Participant Observation: An Integrative Approach To Qualitative Field Research For Practitioner-Scholars, Daniel Robey, Wallace T.F Taylor

Engaged Management ReView

Abstract

Participant observation is an appropriate research method for engaged practitioner-scholars seeking in-depth insights available from qualitative field research. Conventional approaches to participant observation include ethnography and action research. However, conventional approaches were originally developed with the assumption that the roles of practitioner and scholar are separate. We propose a new approach, engaged participant observation, which recognizes the integration of research and practice roles. We illustrate the application of engaged participant observation, and its special demands, through a completed executive doctoral dissertation conducted by second author and supervised by the first author. We address the specific tensions and demands …

Immigrant Entrepreneurship: An Account Of The Korean Experience, Wallace T.F Taylor

Engaged Management ReView

This research account reports conclusions from a small group of interviews done with Korean-American entrepreneurs located in three ethnic enclaves near Atlanta, GA. The purpose of this research is to further knowledge in immigrant entrepreneurship. Methodology comprised seven one-hour interviews conducted with first generation business owners (one male and six female) in three enclaves in Atlanta. The research used qualitative design and focused on answering three important questions: How do Korean entrepreneurs discover and exploit opportunities to develop business, how does this sample describe their experiences in the studied enclaves, and how might espoused cultural traits and business skills affect …

Networking During Strategic Change In Small Organizations, Louis Grabowski, Lars Mathiassen

Engaged Management ReView

Managers recognize change as their number one challenge with the vast majority of their initiatives ending in failure. Managers of small organizations are particularly challenged because these organizations have limited resources and they are particularly vulnerable to environmental dynamics. Against this backdrop, we conducted a qualitative, longitudinal study into a small organization that struggled with strategic change over a seven-year period. We draw on concepts from Actor Network Theory to reveal the importance of effective, conscious, and proactive networking with internal stakeholders and with the powerful, external players upon which small organizations depend. This perspective also emphasizes that managers must …