Abstract
Calls have long been made for a greater use of qualitative methods in management research, with a recent request that we craft our research “carefully and persuasively” (Cuncliffe, 2011)This paper introduces a qualitative approach that has potential to advance management research: Applied Cognitive Task Analysis (ACTA). Developed within the community of scholars associated with Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM), this set of semi-structured interview techniques have much to offer management researchers. As yet, the techniques are under utilised by management scholars, contrary to other applied social science disciplines in cognitive psychology, human factors and design related ergonomics where they are widely used. The paper aims at advancing our understanding of these pragmatic techniques which are theoretically framed by NDM, easy to use, and have high face validity with practitioners. An analytical review of the techniques and their historical roots is provided followed by an outline of the subsequent potential benefits for management research including: entrepreneurship; strategic leadership; innovation and creativity.
Published Version
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