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Portrait of Mats Alvesson. Photo.

Mats Alvesson

Professor

Portrait of Mats Alvesson. Photo.

Behind the Numbers : Questioning Questionnaires

Author

  • Katja Einola
  • Mats Alvesson

Summary, in English

Is complex, ambiguous, and fluctuating social reality measurable? Sometimes yes, perhaps, but often not. At least not in the fairly straightforward way assumed by many researchers. This study is an ethnographic inquiry into data collection during a survey research project. Based on our observations of participants’ spontaneous thoughts and confusions as they filled in questionnaires on “leadership” and “teamwork”, we draw attention to hidden problems in much organizational research. Many respondents found measures ambiguous, irrelevant, or misleading. We (a) underline the inherently interpretative nature of research into complex organizational phenomena, (b) warn against lack of reflexivity and overreliance on existing survey instruments when we study complex social aspects of organizations, (c) identify five categories of possible problems, and (d) suggest paths towards better informed research that take context seriously.

Department/s

  • Organizational Studies

Publishing year

2021-01-01

Language

English

Pages

102-114

Publication/Series

Journal of Management Inquiry

Volume

30

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Topic

  • Ethnology

Keywords

  • critical study
  • ethnography
  • leadership
  • qualitative study
  • quality of research
  • quantitative study
  • questionnaires
  • research methods
  • survey studies
  • teams

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1056-4926