Supplementing Q-method with narratives: Contextualizing CEOs' values for family firms
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
Values in family firms are influenced by the complex interplay of family and business. Thus, research requires methods that grasp this complexity. This paper presents a fresh methodological approach for family business research with the example of an in-depth analysis of CEOs' value orientations. Benefits of an integrated use of two qualitative methods - Q-sorts and narrative interviews - which were collected and analyzed for 16 CEOs of family firms are illustrated. Q-method was used to build value patterns, whereas narrative interviews were conducted to reveal how values were contextualized and interpreted. This integrated approach builds qualitative richness in different ways: first, by allowing for a deep understanding of individual experience; second, by providing more contextual insight, and third, by capturing the meaning of abstract values. The approach advanced here can be reproduced for other complex organizational dynamics. Thus, this user-friendly approach is particularly suited for organizational research in a managerial environment.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 46 |
Journal | Journal of Management and Organization |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 2 |
Pages (from-to) | 270-294 |
Number of pages | 25 |
ISSN | 1833-3672 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 03.2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2018.
- entrepreneurship, qualitative methods, research methods, small- and medium-sized enterprises, values
- Management studies