Research Methods
Research is about producing new and valid knowledge. How do we know which knowledge is
the truth? Rene Descartes stands for Cogito ergo sum (= I doubt therefore I am). He wondered
about what it is he could know for sure. He starts doubting everything around him. He realized
he could doubt everything. Scientists can also doubt everything about knowledge and the way
it is generated.
Research is also a belief system, just like religion. Research questions everything about the
knowledge we generate.
Research
• Purposeful. Research in general has a purpose, which is to improve something.
• Systematic. Research is systematic and typically preplanned. Preplanned in such a
way, once we start collecting data and start looking for relationships between
variables, we constrain the conclusion that we can draw. We are after establishing
causal relationships between variables.
1
, • Empirical. We collect data from the environment, and with those data, we can support
the theory about the knowledge of what goes on in those organizations.
• Public. When research is not public, it is not useful and it is not going to improve
businesses.
• Cumulative. Research is published so that other people can build forth on the
knowledge that has been generated so far. Research improves and gets better and
better. It is a process of slowly building and improving knowledge.
• Critical of itself. Researchers themselves are critical about what they are doing. Once
their research is complete, they submit their manuscript/article for peer review to
colleagues. They critically read the article to improve the quality of research and to
ensure that all research that is published is reliable and valid.
Business and management research
• Transdisciplinary. Different people work together with the same focus on improving
the organization.
• Double hurdle (theoretical and practical impact). Contribute to theory, and try to come
up with explanations (theoretical). Have a practical impact, it should be
implementable in those organizations to improve some sort of outcomes (practical).
• Science -practice gap / translational research. Researchers have difficulty encasing
organizations and convincing organizations of the importance of conducting research.
Organizations are often interested in fast solutions for problems of limited scope.
Research that is conducted in academics has a fundamental and cumulative nature.
Hard to find respondents.
• Evidence-Based Management. Evidence of the decisions managers make. Often
managers rely on intuitions, that is not the best way when we can produce
systematic/valid/empirical knowledge.
Typically research produces or tests theories. When we produce a theory, we will rely on
qualitative data. Once we have an initial theory, we are testing the theory on quantitative data.
We measure key constructs between which we then set out to establish relationships.
2
,******
Operationalization = to make something measurable
1. Identify the problem area & state the importance
Field establishment
2. Review relevant research literature
Description of previous research
3. Identify a gap or “research gap”
(specific area for research)
4. State research aim – to fill that gap
Set research question & establish hypotheses
+ indicate choice of approach/method
Methods
Results
Discussion & interpretation
3
, 1. Match results to research question/hypothesis.
Confirmed? Supported?
2. Implications for specific knowledge area
Comparable studies’ findings
3. Broader implications/significance for the field
Specific contributions to existing research
4. Recommendations for future research
Spaces or “gaps” for others to full
5. Conclusions
References
Basic research
Just to understand
Just wonder
Universities use basic research for generating new knowledge
4
Research is about producing new and valid knowledge. How do we know which knowledge is
the truth? Rene Descartes stands for Cogito ergo sum (= I doubt therefore I am). He wondered
about what it is he could know for sure. He starts doubting everything around him. He realized
he could doubt everything. Scientists can also doubt everything about knowledge and the way
it is generated.
Research is also a belief system, just like religion. Research questions everything about the
knowledge we generate.
Research
• Purposeful. Research in general has a purpose, which is to improve something.
• Systematic. Research is systematic and typically preplanned. Preplanned in such a
way, once we start collecting data and start looking for relationships between
variables, we constrain the conclusion that we can draw. We are after establishing
causal relationships between variables.
1
, • Empirical. We collect data from the environment, and with those data, we can support
the theory about the knowledge of what goes on in those organizations.
• Public. When research is not public, it is not useful and it is not going to improve
businesses.
• Cumulative. Research is published so that other people can build forth on the
knowledge that has been generated so far. Research improves and gets better and
better. It is a process of slowly building and improving knowledge.
• Critical of itself. Researchers themselves are critical about what they are doing. Once
their research is complete, they submit their manuscript/article for peer review to
colleagues. They critically read the article to improve the quality of research and to
ensure that all research that is published is reliable and valid.
Business and management research
• Transdisciplinary. Different people work together with the same focus on improving
the organization.
• Double hurdle (theoretical and practical impact). Contribute to theory, and try to come
up with explanations (theoretical). Have a practical impact, it should be
implementable in those organizations to improve some sort of outcomes (practical).
• Science -practice gap / translational research. Researchers have difficulty encasing
organizations and convincing organizations of the importance of conducting research.
Organizations are often interested in fast solutions for problems of limited scope.
Research that is conducted in academics has a fundamental and cumulative nature.
Hard to find respondents.
• Evidence-Based Management. Evidence of the decisions managers make. Often
managers rely on intuitions, that is not the best way when we can produce
systematic/valid/empirical knowledge.
Typically research produces or tests theories. When we produce a theory, we will rely on
qualitative data. Once we have an initial theory, we are testing the theory on quantitative data.
We measure key constructs between which we then set out to establish relationships.
2
,******
Operationalization = to make something measurable
1. Identify the problem area & state the importance
Field establishment
2. Review relevant research literature
Description of previous research
3. Identify a gap or “research gap”
(specific area for research)
4. State research aim – to fill that gap
Set research question & establish hypotheses
+ indicate choice of approach/method
Methods
Results
Discussion & interpretation
3
, 1. Match results to research question/hypothesis.
Confirmed? Supported?
2. Implications for specific knowledge area
Comparable studies’ findings
3. Broader implications/significance for the field
Specific contributions to existing research
4. Recommendations for future research
Spaces or “gaps” for others to full
5. Conclusions
References
Basic research
Just to understand
Just wonder
Universities use basic research for generating new knowledge
4
