Course coordinator: Magali Gravier, Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)

Teaching style

Short lectures with dialogues, exercises in conducting, coding and analyzing semi-structured interviews, student presentations and discussions.

Lecture plan

Programme (subject to minor modifications)

Day 1- Introducing semi-structured interviews and methodological challenges
10.30 - 11.30: Introduction to the course and participants
11.30 - 12.15: Why a particular consideration for culture and language when doing interviews?
12.15 - 12.45: Typologies of interviews – semi-structured interviews

12.45 - 13.45: Lunch

13.45 - 14.45: Semi-structured interviews and scientific paradigms
14.45 - 15.30: Group work on methodology sections
15.30 - 16.15 What is an interview guide? - preparing interview guide
16.15 - 16.45: Debriefing

Day 2 - Conducting semi-structured interviews
9.00 - 11.00: Conducting factual, conceptual, narrative interviews.
11.00 - 12.30: Group work:                      

• a) Conducting interviews – (focus: opening, rapport, closing).
• b) Plenary exercise: Watching and listening to interviews; discussion

12.30 - 13.30: Lunch

13.30 - 15.00: Group work:
Conducting interviews – narrative interviews (focus: follow-up questions; formulating questions)

15.00 - 16.00: Plenary discussion: Listening to, watching, and discussing interview examples.
16.00 -  17.00: Debriefing: How to present your approach to conducting interviews in your Ph.D. methodology section?

Day 3 - Analysing interviews
9.00 - 9.30: Transcribing interviews
9.30-10.30: Introducing three analytical techniques:

• Content analysis
• Narrative analysis
• Coding and categories with grounded analysis

10.45 - 12.00: Group work:

• Coding manually
• Different layouts for coding

12.00 -  13.00: Lunch

13.00 – 13.30: Showing your analysis
13.30 - 14.30: Group presentations and discussion
14.30 - 15.00: From analysing to presenting results
15.15 - 16.00: Debriefing: How would you present your analysis of interviews in your Ph.D. methodology section?
16.00 - 16.30: Evaluation and summing up on the course

Learning objectives

Upon completion of the course, students:

• will have a good understanding of semi-structured interviews in relation to other types of qualitative interviews;
• will have acquired good insight into potentialities and challenges when using semi-structured interviews in research on international and/or cross-cultural settings.
• will have improved their practice of conducting, coding and analyzing semi-structured interviews as well as presenting research drawing on such interviews
• will be capable of integrating acquired insight into their own PhD projects.

Exam

N/A

Language

English

Course Literature

LITERATURE (INDICATIVE – will not be uploaded on CBS Canvas): 

Expected readings are indicated in bold characters and can be downloaded from the CBS library. 

Alvesson, M. 2011. Interpreting interviews. London: Sage. 

Bernard, H. R., A. Wutich, and G. W. Ryan. 2017. Analyzing qualitative data: Systematic approaches. Second edition. Los Angeles: SAGE. 

Braun, V. & Clarke, V. 2006. ‘Using thematic analysis in psychology’, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3:2, 77-101 

Czarniawska, B. 2004. ‘Narratives in an interview situation’, in B.
 
Czarniawska Narratives in social science research. London: Sage Publications, pp. 47-59. 

Cassell, C., 2015. Conducting Research Interviews for Business and Management Students, London: Sage. 

Cassell, C., Bishop, F., Symon, G., Johnson, P. and Buehring, A. 2009. Learning to be a qualitative management researcher, Management Learning, 40(5): 513-533 

Denzin N. K. and Lincoln Y. S., 2018 (5th ed.). The Sage handbook of qualitative research. Los Angeles: Sage. 

Flick, U., ed. 2014. The Sage handbook of qualitative data analysis. Los Angeles: Sage. In particular: Reichertz, J. “Induction, Deduction, Abduction.” 

Flick, U. ed. 2017. The Sage handbook of data collection. Los Angeles: Sage. In particular: Resch K. and E. Enzenhofer, Collecting Data in Other Languages - Strategies for Cross-Language Research in Multilingual Societies. 

Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., and Hamilton, A. L. (2012). ‘Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research: Notes on the Gioia Methodology’, Organizational Research Methods, 16(1): 15-31. 

Gioia, D. A., Price, K. N., Hamilton, A. L., Thomas, J. B., 2010. ‘Forging an Identity: An Insider-outsider Study of Processes Involved in the Formation of Organizational Identity’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 55 (2010): 1–46. 

Gubrium, J. F.; Holstein, J. A.; Marvasti, A. B.; McKinney, K. D., (2012), The SAGE Handbook of Interview Research: The Complexity of the Craft, Second Edition.  

In particular, the following chapters: 
Carter, S. K., and Christian L. Bolden. 2012. “Culture Work in the Research Interview.” 

Charmaz, K. and Belgrave, L. L. ‘Qualitative Interviewing and Grounded Theory Analysis’; 

Lillrank, A. ‘Managing the Interviewer Self’; 

Potter, J. & Hepburn, A., ‘Eight Challenges for Interview’; 

Guttormsen, D. S. A., J. Lauring, and M. Chapman. 2021. Field Guide to Intercultural Research. Elgar field guides. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. 

Jack, G. and Westwood, R. 2006. Post-colonialism and the politics of qualitative research in international business. Management International Review, 46(4): 481-501. 

Kvale, S. and S. Brinkmann (2014). Interviews. Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing. London: Sage, 3d ed. 

Leavy, P., ed. 2014. The Oxford handbook of qualitative research. Oxford library of psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 

Malterud, K.. 2012. “Systematic Text Condensation: a Strategy for Qualitative Analysis.” Scandinavian journal of public health 40 (8): 795–805. 

Marshan-Piekkari, R. and Welch, C. Eds. (2004), Handbook of qualitative research. Methods for international business. London: Edward Elgar. 

In particular, the following chapters: 

Marschan-Piekkari, R. et al., ‘Interviewing in the multinational collaboration: Challenges of the organizational context’, pp.244-263; 

Macdonald, S. and Hellgren, B., ‘The Interview in International Business Research: Problems we would rather not talk about’, pp. 264-281; 

Wilson, E. M., ‘An outsider in India’, pp. 421-437 

Nadin, S., and C. Cassell. 2006. “The use of a research diary as a tool for reflexive practice.” Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management 3 (3): 208–17. 

Nairn, K., J. Munro, and A. B. Smith. 2016. “A counter-narrative of a ‘failed’ interview.” Qualitative Research 5 (2): 221–44. 

Qun, Zhao, and Neil Carey. 2023. “Translating Interviews, Interpreting Lives: Bi-Lingual Research Analysis Informing Less Westernised Views of International Student Mobility.” Qualitative Research, 146879412211495. doi:10.1177/14687941221149588.

Ryen, A. (2002). Cross-cultural interviewing. In J.F. Gubrium & J.A. Holstein (Eds.), Handbook of interview research. Context and method (pp. 335–354). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 

Saldaña J., 2013. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Sage, 2nd ed.  

Salmons, J. 2015. Qualitative online interviews. Sage. 2nd ed. 

St. Pierre, E. A. and Jackson, A.Y. 2014. Qualitative data analysis after coding. Qualitative Inquiry, 20(6): 715-719. 

Tavory, I., and S. Timmermans. 2014. Abductive Analysis: Theorizing Qualitative Research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 

Timmermans, S., Tavory. 2012. “Theory Construction in Qualitative Research: From Grounded Theory to Abductive Analysis.” Sociological Theory 30 (3): 167–86. 

Trent, A., and J. Cho. 2014. “Interpretation Strategies: Appropriate Concepts.” In The Oxford handbook of qualitative research, edited by Patricia Leavy. Oxford library of psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 

Urquhart, C., et al. 2003. ‘Critical incident technique and explicitation interviewing in studies of information behavior’. Library & Information Science Research, 25 (1) (0): 63-88. 

Welch, C., and R. Piekkari. 2017. “How should we (not) judge the ‘quality’ of qualitative research? A re-assessment of current evaluative criteria in International Business.” Journal of World Business 52 (5): 714–25. 

Welch, C., and R. Piekkari. 2006. “Crossing language boundaries: Qualitative interviewing in international business.” Management International Review 46 (4): 417–37. doi:10.1007/s11575-006-0099-1. 

Zhang, L. E., and D. S. A. Guttormsen. 2016. “Multiculturality” as a key methodological challenge during in-depth interviewing in international business research.” Cross Cultural & Strategic Management 23 (2): 232–56.