Professional Tools Of Inquiry

After reading the reader on professional tools of inquiry and then completing my pilot tools I now am confident that I understand the difference between a Qualitative approach and a Quantitative approach.  It has become clear that it depends on the inquiry, what outcome you are looking for and the information you require.

·         Qualitative approach – relies on the words that people use to understand phenomena

·         Quantitative approach – can be translated into numerical data (punch 1998)

As this was my pilot survey I wanted to get a feel for people’s experiences and views to help me further explore my topic.  I had a small response to my survey.  There could have been a few reasons for that:

·         Small window to complete it

·         Number of surveys being requested at the same time

·         No interest in the topic

·         Not enough communications or encouragement to complete it

·         The majority of the questions required free field text responses.

I have also realised that I would need to manage expectations more.  Generally it would appear people’s perception of a survey is yes, no or select a box response.  I would need to make sure people were aware of why I needed a particular type of survey and a realistic time for completion. 

My pilot survey was a great help to me in refining and finalising my topic.  When I did the analysis I was pleased with the individual responses but felt something was missing.  It was only when I challenged the topic and started the research that the penny dropped and the title formed. It was a Eureka moment for me.

I think there are some similarities between professional inquiry and other professional activities.  When I audition or decide to accept a job I make some inquiries:

·         I research the company, the role and/or the production;

·         I try to talk to someone who has previously worked for the company;

·         I search the net for reviews or comments;

·         I check out the sources of where auditions come from. 

I have turned jobs down before because I have had negative reviews from a colleague.  I think the main difference is I do not document my decisions and sometimes I base a decision on “gut feel”.

From experience of my pilot survey and my limited experience of noting observations, preparation is so important if you want to get the best out of the exercise.   I would include in my preparation the following:

·         Identifying who or what I am going to observe;

·         seek permission to attend/observe

·         explain why I am doing it;

·         seek permission to use the information from the observation;

·         have a framework in my mind of what it is I am looking for;

·         ensure I have the appropriate tools to record the data; and

·         be aware of any ethical issues that might arise.

With permission I recorded my observation so I could go back and watch/listen again, I used a lap top with word on it for notes and excel for a table of comparison.

As a member of a small company I am fortunate that my position as an insider researcher should have few if any restrictions.  The problem with this is, anonyminity is difficult.   Because it is a small company I might find that I am limited with observations because of availability.  If I were to observe outside of my company I would need to seek authorisation first and then try and understand the roles and the culture of the organisation so that I did not offend anyone or observe something that was too sensitive.  I have not discussed this in my SIG yet but have discussed this with my Boss, colleagues and a wider network to see if they have ever been an insider researcher and what their experiences were. 

When thinking about the ‘pilot’ interview, again preparation is key.   The activities include:

·         Identifying who I am going to interview and why;

·         seeking permission to interview them;

·         seeking permission to document the interview and use the data for my research

·         agree on location, venue and time;

·         how I will go about the interview e.g. face to face, location, over the phone;

·         explain why I am doing it (covering letter)

·         manage expectations on how long it will tak;e

·         prepare a framework of questions I am going to ask;

·         ensure I have the appropriate tools to record the data;

·          try and pre-empt any ethical issues that might arise.

As I have been unsure of my final topic description I felt I needed some flexibility around the subject but also the ability to explore further any answers that I felt were important. Initially I chose a semi structured approach for a 1:1 interview.  I felt it gave me a framework of questions to ask but the flexibility to expand my questions or ask different ones as the interview progressed.  

I then used a focus group to explore the topics further and possibly identify some more 1:1 interviewees.  The focus group had some different dynamics.  It was not a question and answers session; it was more a seed an idea and see where it goes discussions.  There was a mix of personalities some strong some shy and body language was interesting.

I did find some challenges using this tool:

·         It is not so easy to control the direction of the discussion.

·         Strong characters were keen to dominate the discussion

·         Some participants appeared to be led by others rather than initiate a discussion

·         Some participants needed a lot of encouragement to speak in the group setting

·         Unless it was recorded documenting  the discussion was tough and unstructured

·         Chairing the meeting and recording was not easy

Without a doubt, using these pilot tools really helped me.  Most importantly it helped me challenge and confirm the final title of my award.   It gave me some experience of the amount of preparation needed to make it worthwhile to me, a good experience for the participants and how to get some valuable data which I can use further.  I think all the tools need to be in my “kit bag”.  Which ones I use will depend on what it is I am trying to achieve and where I am in the planning/execution process.