On the Study of Settings Marked by Severe Superior-Subordinate Conflict

Abstract

We discuss several issues related to the study of an organizational setting that is marked by severe conflict between superiors and subordinates. The discus sion is based on our experiences during fieldwork conducted in an Indian R&D team which manifested such conflict. We also relate our discussion to the reports of other researchers who have studied similar settings.

We first argue that for studying such a conflictive setting, a multi-method, qualitative approach (incorporating participant observation, informal inter views, etc.) is more effective in important respects than a survey mode of inquiry involving the one-off administration of questionnaires and formal inter views. We then discuss several problematic issues in doing fieldwork success fully in a conflictive setting. These include having to establish rapport with organizational members, maintain confidentiality of the identities of key informants, remain neutral, and conduct informal interviews discreetly in the setting.

We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of the field experience for future researchers of conflictive settings.

Keywords

Descriptors: fieldwork in qualitative research superior-subordinate conflict research methodologies ethics of the researcher guidelines for fieldwork

References

Beynon, H. 1988 'Regulating research: Politics and decision making in industrial organizations' in Doing research in organizations. A. Bryman (ed.), 21-33. London: Routledge.

Bogdan, R. , and S.J. Taylor 1975 Introduction to qualitative research methods New York: Wiley.

Bryman, A. 1988 'Introduction: "Inside" accounts and social research in organizations' in Doing research in organizations. A. Bryman (ed.), 1-18. London: Routledge.

Bryman, A. 1989 Research methods in organizational studies London: Unwin Hyman.

Christensen, D. 1988 'Mirror, mission, and management : Reflections on folklore and culture in a health care organization' in Inside organizations: Understanding the human dimension. M. O. Jones, M. D. Moore, and R. C. Snyder (eds.), 49-61. Thousand Oaks: Sage .

Cole, R.E. 1971 Japanese blue collar: The changing tradition Berkeley, CA: The University of California Press.

Gullahorn, J. , and G. Strauss 1960 'The fieldworker in union research' in Human organization research: Field relations and techniques . R. N. Adams and J. J. Geiss (eds.), 153-165. Home-wood, IL: Dorsey Press.

Jones, M.O. 1988 'In search of meaning: Using qualitative methods in research and application' in Inside organizations: Understanding the human dimension. M. O. Jones, M. D. Moore, and R. C. Snyder (eds.), 27-47. London: Sage.

Litterer, J.A. 1969 'Managing conflict in organizations' in Emerging trends in management. M. S. Wortman and F. Luthans (eds.), 192-194. New York: Macmillan.

10.

Luthans, F. 1985 Organizational behavior, 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

11.

McCarl, R.S. 1984 'The District of Columbia fire fighters' project: A case study in occupational folklife' Washington, D.C .: Smithsonian Ins. Press.

12.

Meyerson, D. 1990 'Uncovering socially undesirable emotions: Experiences of ambiguity in organizations'. American Behavioural Scientist 33: 296-307.

13.

Mouly, V.S. , and E. Ramani 1990

'Survey research and ethnographic research: An appraisal of two research methodologies'

iimb Management Review 5/2: 31-51.

14.

Mouly, V.S. , and J.K. Sankaran 1995 Organizational ethnography: An illustrative application in the study of Indian R&D settings New Delhi: Sage.

15.

Nadler, D.A. 1980 'Using organizational assessment data for planned organizational change' in Organizational assessment: Perspectives on the measurement of organizational behavior and the quality of work life. E. E. Lawler III, D. A. Nadler and C. Cammann (eds.), 72-90. New York: Wiley.

16.

Nicholson, N. 1976 'Negotiating research into industrial relations' in The access case-book: Social scientists account for how to get data for field research. C. Brown, P. G. De Monthoux, and A. McCullough (eds.), 90-98. Stockholm: Teknisk Hogeskolelitteratur.

17.

Richardson, F.L.W. 1987 'The elusive nature of cooperation and leadership: Discovering a primitive process that regulates human behaviour' in Applied anthropology in America, 2nd ed. E. M. Eddy and W. L. Partridge (eds.), 97-122. New York: Columbia University Press.

18.

Rosen, M. 1986

'Some notes from the field: On ethnography and organizational science'

Dragon 6: 57-77.

19.

Smith, R.B. 1985 'Introduction: Linking quality and quantity' in A handbook of social science methods: Quantitative methods, focussed survey research, and causal modelling, Vol. 3. R. B. Smith (ed.), 1-51. New York: Praeger.

20.

Spradley, J.P. 1979 The ethnographic interview New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

21.

Spradley, J.P. 1980 Participant observation New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.