Project Title
The globalisation of management research methods
Names of Principal Applicant and Co-Applicants (please also include the names of the institutions
and email addresses)
Professor Emma Bell, Keele University
Professor Nivedita Kothiyal, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA)
Introduction
As the management research community becomes more internationally diverse, there are
opportunities to develop research that spans multilingual and multicultural empirical contexts and is
locally relevant and context specific. However, in post-colonial India, management knowledge and
education was imported from US with specific aims of nation building, development through
industrialization, and modernization of ‘traditional’ Indian society (Mir et al., 2004; Srinivas, 2008).
This served to historically legitimize a narrow spectrum of what constitutes ‘useful’ knowledge and
research in line with conventional techno-managerial concerns. Despite a brief period when the
quest to (re)discover ‘authentic’ Indian management was strongly articulated, (Srinivas, 2012).
Contemporary pressures to compete in the global management education marketplace are driving
business schools and researchers in India and other emerging markets towards more vigorous
adoption of academic cultural norms and practices invented in the Western Anglo-American context
(Khatri et al, 2012). This process is supported and has been accelerated by training management
researchers from non-Western contexts in Anglo-American universities and their preferential
recruitment in local institutions, and the publication of Anglo-American dominated journals and
methodology textbooks internationally.
The recent exponential growth of management education in India provides an opportunity to
explore these dynamics. It has been suggested that ‘without valid and tested management theories
that fit the Indian context, business education and schools in India will lose their relevance and
legitimacy’ (Khatri et al., 2012: 104). ‘Visiting scholars from the West, particularly those of Indian
origin seem to believe that positivistic research is the path for Indian scholars to follow’ (Khatri et al.,
2012: 107). However, rather than imitating Western research paradigms that are based on
universalistic notions of management knowledge as applicable in any context, Indian management
researchers this project asserts that there is a need for methodologies and methods which can be
used to create pluralistic and indigenous management knowledge.
Report of Activities
The qualitative interview study was concluded in November 2014. 35 semi-structured interviews
were conducted (36 interviewees in total), each of approximately one-hour duration. All the
interviews, with the exception of one individual who preferred to respond to questions via email,
were transcribed verbatim in the UK using a professional transcription service. The interviewees
represent a cross section of established Indian management researchers employed in Indian
Institutes of Management, Universities and private business schools, and recently completed PhD
students accessible to the researchers. In addition, the role of the Indian diaspora (defined as
management academics employed in Western universities), was found to be theoretically significant.
Hence a smaller number of interviews were sought with Indian researchers employed in the UK (n =
2) and US (n = 3). Approximately half of the interviews were conducted face-to-face, the remainder
via Skype, which was found to be a highly convenient and appropriate mode of communication for
respondents. A further advantage of Skype interviewing was that it enabled both researchers to
participate in the interviewing process. Qualitative content analysis of the leading management
research textbooks in India (based on Bookscan sales data) was also completed.
NVivo coding and initial analysis of the entire dataset has been completed and the project s now
being written up. Two full conference papers have so far been written:
1) Bell, E. and Kothiyal, N. ‘Methodology-as-technique and the Globalization of Management
Research’, submitted to Academy of Management Meeting , Vancouver, Canada, August 2015
(currently under review and awaiting decision)
2) Kothiyal, N. and Bell, E. ‘Mimicry and Resistance in the Globalization of Management Research’,
submitted to British Academy of Management Conference, Portsmouth, UK, September 2015
(currently under review and awaiting decision)
This will enable dissemination of initial findings. On the basis of feedback received, these papers will
be revised and submitted to the following journals; paper 1) British Journal of Management; paper
2) Organization. In addition, a book chapter on the globalization of research ethics is planned for an
edited collection.
Significant interest has already been shown in the project, (e.g. Bell has been invited to speak at an
event on the globalization of management research at Newcastle University). Bell will be visiting
Brazil and Peru in June 2015 where she intends to present the findings to scholars, e.g. FGV-EAESP,
Sao Paolo. Kothiyal will also have opportunities to disseminate findings in the coming months, e.g.
Indian Academy of Management Conference, December 2015. The research findings also inform a
NARTI workshop at Keele University on March 11th 2015, on Research Ethics and Fieldwork’,
organised by Bell, who will present on ‘Ethics in translation: Doing research in diverse cultural
contexts’.
Planned Activities for the Future

Presentation of findings by Bell at Academy of Management Meeting, August 2015,
Vancouver; presentation of findings by Bell at British Academy of Management Conference,
September 2015, Portsmouth
 Presentation of findings by Kothiyal at Indian Academy of Management Conference,
December 2015
 2 articles to be submitted to journals by mid 2015 (see Report of Activities for more details)
Book chapter to be written by end 2015
Were the Research Aims and Objectives met?
These timescales and goals achieved are consistent with those originally envisaged in the project
planning stage. The aims of the project have been met as follows:
a) enable understanding of the process whereby global methodological norms and values are
acquired and reinforced (paper 1, paper 2 and proposed chapter)
b) explore problems and difficulties encountered in applying globalised methods in the Indian
context (paper 1, paper 2 and proposed chapter)
c) consider alternatives to globalised management research methods, based on cultural flexibility,
reciprocity and trust (paper 1, paper 2 and proposed chapter)
d) create spaces for self-reflexivity (this will be achieved through presenting findings widely and
allowing opportunity for discussion)
Analysis of the data has enabled development of the following core themes:
- dominance of the positivist paradigm and the importance of institutional pressures in reinforcing
this;
- language and translation in data collection, analysis and research writing and the difficulties of
Indian researchers in dealing with English language dominance in international research contexts;
- academic socialization and the importance of the PhD in developing methodological competence;
- discursive effects of criteriology, including terms such as ‘rigour’, and their role in defining notions
of quality in management research and silencing alternatives;
- opportunities and spaces for resistance, such as through critical management studies and
indigenous research perspectives.
Engagement with methodological literatures and postcolonial theory forms the focus of current
work through which a contribution to knowledge is sought.
Limitations or challenges encountered
A significant challenge related to the funding allocation rules which prevented any of the grant funds
being used to attend a conference through with the findings could be presented. Due to an underspend on the project, in October 2014 we requested whether a portion of the grant could be used to
support the attendance of one of Kothiyal, who is based in India, to present at BAM but this was
declined. Despite this, we submitted a paper to the BAM conference 2015, in accordance with the
requirement of the grant. However, Bell has no funding from her employer to enable her to attend
this event. (The policy at Keele only enables attendance at one international conference a year and
her commitment to attend the Academy of Management conference is fixed, owing to a position
held in one of the Divisions). This put us in a difficult position of being forced to fund attendance
personally in order to honour the terms of the grant.
We suggest that this is something that the organisers of the grant scheme consider in future years.
If this requirement is maintained, we suggest the letter of support from the applicant’s institution
needs to include a commitment to support attendance at the conference, over and above standard
conference support, in order to prevent grant holders being placed in this difficult position.
Alternatively, the funder could offer to waive the BAM conference fee for all grant award holders in
the year the grant is held, and make this a part of the grant award.
Analysis of Methods
The method of analysis adopted in the project involves qualitative content analysis of textbook
discourses combined with thematic analysis of interview data. This has resulted in the generation of
concepts and categories which enable theoretical analysis.
Analysis of Results
Theoretically, the project draws on postcolonial theory, globalisation theory and qualitative research
methodology. It seeks to develop understanding of research in the Indian context and also to open
up spaces for critical debate, including through the exploration of indigenous methodologies.
Impact of Research to the wider business and management academic community
The practitioner audiences for this study are management researchers and management research
managers, including School and Faculty Research Directors and Deans in the UK and India.
Engagement with these audiences has been achieved through Kothiyal’s involvement in the Indian
Academy of Management and Bell’s membership of the British Academy of Management, the
Association of Business Schools Research Steering Committee, the Northern Advanced Regional
Training Initiative (NARTI) steering group, the scientific committee of the Italian Academy of
Business Administration and Management Research Summer School and the Critical Management
Studies Division of the Academy of Management.
These networks provide significant ongoing opportunity to generate impact through dissemination
of findings to new and established management researchers and university research managers.
They also provide opportunities to influence the training and development of management
researchers in the UK and India and to build links between the British and Indian Academies of
Management.
Given the increased collaborative educational and research links being developed between
management scholars in these two countries, the study will provided timely and much needed
research to enable more effective and reciprocally beneficial knowledge creation at the international
level. It will also open up opportunities for Indian and non-Anglo-American management
researchers to challenge methodological orthodoxy and develop methodological expertise that
enables them to draw on their situated knowledge and understanding, thereby enhancing the
international diversity of the field.
Further research opportunities the project has highlighted
The project has highlighted the need for ongoing work to enable more paradigmatically diverse
management research in the Indian context, including interpretive, critical research in areas of
significant economic, social and environmental importance. The grant holders will make an
application for a British Academy International Partnerships and Mobility grant in Feb. 2016, in order
to continue to develop their collaborative work.
References and Bibliography – 2 pages maximum
Bell, E. and Thorpe, R. (2013) A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About
Management Research. London: Sage.
Bell, E. and Bryman, A. (2007) ‘The Ethics of Management Research: An Exploratory Content
Analysis’, British Journal of Management, 18(1): 63-77.
Canagarajah, A. S. (1996) ‘”Nondiscursive” requirements in academic publishing, material resources
of periphery scholars, and the politics of knowledge production’. Written communication, 13(4): 435472.
Connell, R. (2007) Southern Theory: Social Science and the Global Dynamics of Knowledge. Oxford:
Polity Press.
Cornelissen, J., Gajewska-De Mattos, H., Piekkari, R. and Welch, C. (2012) ‘Writing up as a legitimacy
seeking process: Alternative Publishing Recipes for Qualitative Research’, in Symons, G. and Cassell,
C. (Eds.) Qualitative Organizational Research. London: Sage, pp. 184-203.
Gobo, G. (2011) ‘Glocalizing methodology? The encounter between local methodologies’,
International Journal of Social Research Methodologies, 14(6): 417-437.
Grey, C. (2010) ‘Organizing Studies: Publications, Politics and Polemic’, Organization Studies, 31(6):
677-694.
Khatri, N., Ojha, A.K., Budhwar, P., Srinivasan, V. and Varma, A. (2012) ‘Management Research in
India: Current State and Future Directions’, IIMB Management Review, 24: 104-115.
Law, J. (2004) After Method: Mess in Social Science Research. London: Routledge.
Pieterse, J.N. (2004) Globalization and Culture: Global Melange. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Mir, R., Mir, A., & Srinivas, N. (2004) ‘Managerial knowledge as property: the role of universities’,
Organization Management Journal, 1(2): 126-137.
Prasad, A. (2005) Crafting Qualitative Research: Working in the Postpositivist Traditions. Armonk,
New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Ritzer, G. 2007) The Globalization of Nothing 2. Thousand Oaks CA: Pine Forge Press.
Srinivas, N. (2008) ‘Mimicry and Revival: The Transfer and Transformation of Management
Knowledge to India, 1959-1990’, International Studies of Management and Organization, 38(4): 3857.
Srinivas, N. (2012) ‘Epistemic and performative quests for authentic management in
India’,Organization, 19(2): 145-158.
Tuhiwai Smith, L. (1999) Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed
Books.