UNDERSTANDING OF RESEARCH METHODS
Research has been part of management studies for a long time. But the way it is practised
today with scientific rigour can be attributed to the paradigm shift driven by business
schools in the USA in the last century that were heavily influenced by the automotive
industry.
Paradigm development:
A paradigm is a collection of beliefs held by a large group of people. The adherents follow a
school of thought which explains what they hold to be true.
A phenomenon that has to be explained is an explanandum, and the statements used to
describe it are known as explanans. But the consensus does not imply that all those with
intellectual pursuits have to conform to the dominant paradigms of the time. There can be
questions that challenge the commonly held notions and may even lead to the collapse of
the paradigm.
An illustration can be the human understanding of the geometry of the earth. In the
medieval age, the paradigm dictated that the earth is flat. Even the clergy and theologists
decreed that the earth is indeed flat. Anyone who disagreed was charged with heresy and
excommunicated or, worse yet, was eliminated.
Despite the challenge, the dissenters continued, gaining followers over time. More evidence
was gathered and backed by rational thought. Slowly, the paradigm that said the earth is flat
was overthrown.
Thomas Kuhn says that paradigms follow a cycle, as illustrated above. A dominant paradigm
enters into a stage of decline as a growing number of scholars challenge its validity. Then
there is a revolutionary thought that takes over. It then goes through its own incubation
phase, development, maturity, and ultimately decline. This is a very long-drawn process,
which may last for centuries.
The philosophy of management science as a paradigm combines art and science. It is not a
hard science that a humanities field cannot be. Neither is it completely devoid of factual
truths leading to imaginary thinking that lacks clarity and leads to no conclusions.
Theory and its development:
A theory is a statement that seeks to explain an observed phenomenon. For a theory to be
usable, it must have a practical, actionable aspect. It must also not be a vague and vastly
generalising concept.
A general complaint of scholars is that management science has yet to be able to develop
theories of its own of late. There is a debate among academicians about whether
management is a science of its own or just a patchwork of different fields of study.
Following is a brief on the constituents of a theory.
Variables:
A Variable is any aspect of a phenomenon that can be measured. A variable can be
categorised as direct or latent variable.
Direct variables are those variables that can be measured from observation. In the context
of research, the sources of these measurements can be primary or secondary.
Latent variables are those variables that are not directly measured but have to be deduced
from available data.
Methods of research: Qualitative and Quantitative
The quantitative method uses objective, number-based facts to generate a hypothesis and
make conclusions. Qualitative research is based on the standards the researcher subscribes
to, measures people’s responses and creates indices. The method employed and measuring
tool is therefore essential to this method.
Reliability: A concept related to the consistency of the results. The instrument is reliable if
the study can be replicated with the same methodology to obtain comparable results.
Validity: It determines whether the research has addressed the intended problem, i.e.,
achieved its objective.
Reliability is related to good quality of research; in the case of the qualitative method, it has
to generate understanding. Some scholars argue whether reliability is relevant for
qualitative methods.
Validity is not very well defined for qualitative research. Researcher use ad-hoc concepts
that are based on the methods employed. Some scholars use triangulation to validate the
analysis.
Scale development:
Researchers also need to publicise the obstacles encountered during data collection. This is
scale development. Reliability and validity are relevant when data is based on
questionnaires.
Model development:
Models provide a context and lead to an understanding of a phenomenon. Theories also
give a meaningful direction to data. Hypothesis development is the difference between the
two.