INTERVIEWS Chapter 10 MYERS © 2008 Michael D. Myers

MYERS
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
INTERVIEWS
Chapter 10
Sage Publications Limited
© 2008 Michael D. Myers
All Rights Reserved
Introduction
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Written Record

Interviews are one of the
most important data
gathering techniques for
qualitative researchers

Interviews allow us to gather
rich data from people in
various roles and situations

A good interview helps us to
focus on the subject’s world

Other data collection
techniques include fieldwork
and the use of documents
Data Analysis
Approach
Data Collection
Technique
Research Method
Philosophical
Assumptions
Interviews
2
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Primary and secondary data

Primary data – data which are unpublished and which the
researcher has gathered directly themselves (e.g. interview
transcripts, minutes of meetings)

Secondary data – previously published data (e.g. newspaper
articles)

Primary data add richness and credibility to qualitative
manuscripts
Interviews
3
Types of interviews
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Structured interviews
– The use of pre-formulated questions, strictly regulated with regard to
the order of the questions, and sometimes regulated with regard to the
time available

Semi-structured interviews
– The use of some pre-formulated questions, but no strict adherence to
them. New questions might emerge during the conversation

Unstructured interviews
– Few if any pre-formulated questions. In effect the interviewee has a free
rein to say what they want. Often no set time limit
4
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Focus groups

Most qualitative interviews are one-on-one, but group
interviews can be used as well

The purpose of a focus group interview is to get collective
views on a certain defined topic of interest from a group of
people who are known to have had certain experiences

Focus groups enable a researcher to elicit opinions, attitudes
and beliefs held by the members of a group
Interviews
5
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Potential problems using interviews

Artificiality of the interview

Lack of trust

Lack of time

Level of entry

Elite bias

Hawthorne effects

Constructing knowledge

Ambiguity of language

Interviews can go wrong
Interviews
6
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
A model of the interview

One way to try to
overcome the potential
problems is to use a
dramaturgical model of
the interview

The dramaturgical model
treats the individual
interview as a drama
Interviews
7
The dramaturgical model
Concepts Description
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Drama
Stage
Actor
Audience
Script
Entry
Exit
Performance
The interview is a drama with a stage, props, actors, an audience, a script, and
a performance
A variety of organizational settings and social situations
Both the interviewer and the interviewee can be seen as actors. The
researcher has to play the part of an interested interviewer; the interviewee
plays the part of a knowledgeable person
Both the interviewer and the interviewee can be seen as the audience. The
researcher should listen intently while interviewing. The interviewee(s) should
listen to the questions and answer them appropriately
The interviewer has a more or less partially developed script with questions
to be put to the interviewee to guide the conversation. The interviewee
normally has no script and has to improvise
Impression management is very important, particularly first impressions
Leaving the stage, possibly preparing the way for the next performance or
another performance at a later date
All of the above together produce a good or a bad performance. The quality of
the performance affects the quality of the data gathered
Interviews
8
Ensuring a good performance
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Eliciting skills – try to use open questions in interviews
– Open questions take the form ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘when’,
‘how’, and usually lead to answers that are open-ended and more
descriptive

Listening skills
– ‘An interviewer needs to follow the content of what is being said, listen
to the meaning underneath the words, and then gently bring this into
the conversation. He or she offers or reflects back what they have
heard, so that the respondent can confirm, deny, or elaborate. This way
of working creates empathy, deepens the conversation and ensures the
meaning has been understood’ (Chrzanowska, 2002: 112)

Interviews
9
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Practical suggestions for interviewing

Try to interview a variety of people representing diverse
views

Prepare beforehand

Use the mirroring technique

Be flexible and open to new lines of enquiry

As a general rule, tape your interviews
Interviews
10