
Mats Alvesson
Professor

Behind the Numbers : Questioning Questionnaires
Author
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