3 TEMPORARY FORMS OF ORGANIZING WORK
6.5. Reliability and validity of the research
It is often discussed whether and how a qualitative study may be reliable and valid.
Quantitative criteria such as objectivity and generalizability may not be applied the same way in qualitative research. During the research process, I have tried to
explain the reader the research process as transparently as possible. I have also tried to be exact and coherent in presenting the case, the data, and my interpretations in line with them to give reliable explanations on the relevant issues (Hirsjärvi & al. 2009).
Tracy (2010) presents an eight-point contextualization concerning the quality of qualitative research. These include worthy topic, rich rigor, sincerity, credibility, resonance, significant contribution, ethics, and meaningful coherence (Tracy 2010, 849). As topic, employee engagement in temporary problem-solving teams is timely, relevant, and future-oriented. It is ahead of its time, as is the case company, too. I believe that there are more and deeper studies to come concerning the subject. Thinking of rigor, I have aimed at thoroughness in explaining my research process. I have also tried to be very exact in describing how raw data are processed into 2nd order themes and further into interpretations.
Sincerity is related to honesty and self-reflexivity of the researcher. In this thesis, I have strived to introspectivity and transparency when sharing my goals, methods, ideas and thoughts. The amount of data could have been a bit larger, but I find it to be enough for a thesis. Credibility is achieved through practices like thick description and showing rather than telling. For me, telling and explaining is natural, so I have consciously paid attention not to tell, but show. I hope to have succeeded in that. To Tracy, resonance means the researcher´s ability to meaningfully reverberate and affect an audience (Tracy 2010, 844). I have tried to be clear and evocative when writing.
When thinking of contribution, I have raised the issue of redefining employee engagement as concept. Still, more than theoretical significance, I find that my study has heuristic significance. There might be practical significance, too, because I have presented ideas about how managers may support employee engagement. When researching, I have born in mind ethical factors, such as the particulars and respect of the informants. Finally, when thinking about the coherence of the study, I have chosen methods that I found to fit the stated goals,
and finish a study where theory, research questions, findings and interpretations are in line with each other.
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APPENDIX 1. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
The role in the team, familiarity with team members and virtual communication
Have you been working with case company before? If you have, how did you become engaged into cooperation with case company?
At which point did you enter this project and how did you became engaged in it?
Do you have any previous experience with your team members?
What did you know about the other participants in this project?
Did you look for information about your team members or case company when entering the project? If you did, what kind of information and where did you look for it?
How much experience do you have about working in virtual environments? Do you use virtual tools and platforms to communicate your personal issues, ideas and feelings (i.e. through social media, Facebook, Twitter etc.)?
Communication, interaction, knowledge sharing, relationships in the team
What kind of knowledge participants have brought into project? In your opinion, what kind of knowledge is most valuable to the problem solving? Can you provide an example?
How much have you shared tacit knowledge, i.e. knowledge related to your experience, insights etc. Can you provide an example, what has it been and how it has been communicated?
Do you think you are able to use other team members’ tacit knowledge in the problem-solving process and how? Has some novel knowledge been created as a result?
(continues)
(Appendix 1 continues)
In your opinion, is it easy to share your ideas and knowledge freely to others in this project and why? What supports sharing them, and what kind of things prevent you from sharing your ideas?
How does the digital platform of case company support the communication between members? Does it support tacit knowledge sharing?
In your opinion, does it feel safe to express your ideas and insights lightly on the platform, even if there is a risk that those ideas fail/don’t work/are not agreed?
In your opinion, has there been any critical incidents related to communication? Can you provide an example of communicational behavior that has supported your collaboration, or one that has hindered it?
Have you or any of your team members communicated some negative thoughts/feelings during the project?
Have you discussed any personal issues in your team?
How would you describe the atmosphere between team members?
In your opinion, what is this atmosphere based on?
In your opinion, were there any competition between team members? How did this affect collaboration?
Can an expert communicate too openly? In your opinion, what kind of openness is good in communication? How can expert regulate the openness of their communication?
Perceived risk, goals, normative actions, commitment
In your opinion, how risky the project is and what kind of risks exist to you, other team members, and for the project in general?
How much have you discussed the goals of the project?
(continues)
(Appendix 1 continues)
How would you describe, what are your personal goals in this project? When you think of the goals of the other team members, to what extent your goals converge with theirs and how do they differ?
How were you advised to use the platform? Is there some kind of rules of conduct? Have they existed from the outset, or have you created them during the collaboration?
How is the problem solving facilitated? Is it monitored and controlled is some ways, how?
Has it been clear to you what is expected from you in this project?
Do you think that is important to know?
In your opinion, are there things in the project that should be contracted clearly, but so far there are not contracts?
How committed are you to the project? In your opinion, how committed are the other members of the project? Can you describe some concrete signs of commitment, or lack of it?
Trust/Critical success factors
How would you characterize trust in this kind short-term problem solving groups?
In your opinion, what is trust based on in this project team? What kind of things have enabled you to trust your team members? How have you evaluated their trustworthiness, what kind of things have you paid attention to?
Were there things that prevented you from trusting your team members?
Would you say that there were changes in trust over the course of the project? How would you describe it?
(continues)
(Appendix 1 continues)
Could you provide an example of a situation or behavior, in which trust has been strengthened during this project? (critical incident)
Has there been any situations or behaviors, in which trust decreased or was broken? Could you provide an example? (critical incident)
Has it been easy for team members to understand each other? If not, can you give some examples of misunderstanding or lack of understanding?
Has it been easy or difficult for you to be understood by other team members? Have you made an extra effort to be understood?
In your opinion, have the differences in cultural, national and expertise background affected trust in your team? If they have, how?
In your experience of this project team, has there been any attempts to build trust?
In your opinion, how satisfied have you been on the collaboration and the things you have accomplished so far? What kind of things have created satisfaction/dissatisfaction?
In your opinion, what are the three most critical issues for the success project?
In your opinion, how important has trust and trusting atmosphere been for the success of the project?
Based on your experience in this project, do you have any suggestions how to build trust in this kind of project teams? Do you have any suggestions how to enhance the overall collaboration in this kind of project?
APPENDIX 2. DATA STRUCTURE
Table presenting the analysis path through Gioia-method
Inserts First order Second order Aggregate Dimension
Engagement in project process/defining phase
"…the client is committed to and has invested in this and then the different actors... Even though it´s not sure yet that we will get the job, we all ideate"
ideating starts before the project is sure
“I won´t stay at the platform innovating because it is waste of time if I don´t get paid after all” innovating without a pay is waste of
“I won´t stay at the platform innovating because it is waste of time if I don´t get paid after all” innovating without a pay is waste of