Qualitative Research Designs

Ethnography, interviews and focus groups

Qualitative research is aimed at understanding complex organizational phenomena that cannot always be reduced to figures, focusing on the analysis of behavioral patterns and meanings.

Among its techniques, ethnography stands out, where the researcher is completely immersed in the social or behavioral system of an organization to study it from the inside, and may act as a participant (member of the group) or non-participant observer.

Interviews and focus groups are essential tools in this approach, as they allow direct information to be obtained about what people think, feel and do through verbal communication.

These methods are particularly useful for exploring internal culture, shared values and the subjective perceptions of personnel in the face of changes in the company's structure.

Content analysis and archival records

Another mainstay of qualitative research is content analysis, a descriptive technique used to examine the written or spoken word and classify the occurrence of specific events or behaviors by predefined categories.

Archival research, on the other hand, involves the careful study of existing organizational records, such as past performance reports, meeting minutes or historical human resources data, to uncover long-term trends without the need to intervene directly in the current environment.

Although these qualitative methods generally cannot establish causality as strongly as an experiment, they are essential for portraying the current state of a phenomenon in depth and detail, often serving as a basis for future quantitative studies.

Summary

This research seeks to understand complex phenomena by analyzing behavioral patterns and subjective meanings. It uses techniques such as ethnography, where the researcher is immersed in the social system.

Interviews and focus groups allow obtaining direct information about thoughts and feelings of the staff. They are essential for exploring internal culture and perceptions of structural changes.

Content analysis and archival records help uncover long-term trends. Although they do not demonstrate causality, they offer depth to portray the current state of the organization.