Photo and Video Methods in Organizational and Managerial Communication Research

Abstract

In this article, I introduce photo and video methods (PVM) to organizational communication. PVM have rarely been used in organizational communication research but offer advantages through providing a shared anchor around which researchers and participants can communicate, adding meaning through the framing and act of taking pictures or videos, and incorporating more senses. These additions to the research process offer new ways for participants and researchers to communicate. I detail two specific methods (photo-elicitation interviews and participant viewpoint ethnography) to illustrate some of the advantages of PVM relative to other methods. Through these examples, my goal is to inspire other scholars to see where PVM might be applicable to their research, adding differently supported theorizing to organizational communication.