Human Relations Approach To Qualitative Research

5. Methodology The creation of our research design centers around our research question-- how do social relationships and networks impact an organization’s ability to communicate change from a human relations perspective? In applying the human relations approach to our topics, there are several themes that guide our research methods. The main theme is the significance of relationships. One of the key principles of the human relations approach is relationships and their ability to fulfill the “self-actualization” needs of humans (Miller, 2012: 44). In conducting our research design, we need to consider the relationship between the researcher and the organization being reached.

There are four key approaches in defining the relationship between

Because our research question focuses on how organizations apply social relationships and networks in communicating change, a qualitative research design is applicable. It encourages researchers to “obtain a more realistic view of the lived world that cannot be understood or experienced in numerical data and statistical analysis” (Lebaree, 2009). Understanding the role of change and social relationships and networks within an organization, requires a level of study that goes beyond quantitative data. A quantitative research design does not leave room for contextual details. Qualitative researchers have the ability to “interact with the research subjects in their own language on their own terms and create a descriptive capability based on primary and unstructured data” (Lebaree, 2009). A qualitative research design is more descriptive and contextual. It evolves in response to the changes of the study. Thus, it offers qualitative researchers “the flexibility to shift the focus of the research; providing a holistic view of the phenomena under investigation” (Lebaree, 2009). It doesn’t limit the research study and leaves room for greater understanding of the topic. This method doesn’t adhere to strict data collection methods. Instead, researchers “develop flexible ways to perform data collection, subsequent analysis and interpretation of collected information; yielding results that can be helpful in

It is a simple method of analyzing the intense data collected. Thematic analysis is a “process for encoding qualitative information” (Boyatzis, 2009). It distinguishes the most frequent and prominent features within the qualitative data. Thematic analysis translates the “language of qualitative analysis” to those speaking “the language of quantitative analysis,” including “those who use different qualitative methods” (Boyatzis, 2009). This form of analysis creates a language in which other researchers and observers can comprehend and follow. It allows a “researcher with a qualitative method and design to translate observations and apply statistical analysis to determine validity of the themes” (Boyatzis, 2009). One of the benefits of applying thematic analysis is its ability to transform. Thematic analysis is context sensitive. Thus, it “emphasizes careful comparative case analyses and extrapolating patterns for possible transferability and adaptation in new settings” (Lebaree, 2009). It leaves room for several interpretations of the findings of the study. The analysis can be transformed in to different formats to explain different occurrences. Thematic analysis “may be used to understand people’s interpretations of any sort of phenomena” (Cheney, 2011: 483). Although, complete objectivity is unattainable