Conducting Management Research Research Articles

Conducting Management Research in Latin America: Why and What’s in It for You?

We make the case that conditions and timing are right and, despite some challenges, there are many benefits to conducting management research in Latin America. Some of these conditions include an upward trend in the productivity of Latin American researchers, increased collaboration between researchers in Latin America and those in other regions, and societal, cultural, and economic characteristics that make the region an ideal “natural laboratory” to build and test management theories. Demonstrating that our arguments are not just about potential but are founded in reality, we offer a selective summary of recent research conducted in Latin America that made important contributions to micro and macro management domains and theories. These include (a) leadership; (b) small and family businesses; (c) entrepreneurship; (d) social inclusiveness, inequity, and vulnerable populations; (e) strategy and competitive dynamics in natural resource industries; (f) strategy in unstable macroeconomic contexts; (g) public (industrial) policies and business development; (h) hybrid public-private collaborations; and (i) social enterprises and blended social and economic value creation. We also describe opportunities for future research in these domains. Finally, we offer practical and actionable advice on how to address typical challenges encountered when conducting management research in Latin America. Solutions apply to those residing inside and outside of Latin America and include, among others, identifying universities with a research-oriented career path, recognizing credible university rankings and their impact, and capitalizing on local contexts to generate high-quality research. We hope our article will serve as a catalyst for future management research in Latin America.

Advancing Africa through management knowledge and practice: the way forward

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review and summarizes the articles that were accepted for the special issue focusing on “Advancing Africa through management knowledge and practice”. The paper also provides suggestions for future research focus for researchers on management issues in and about Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a conceptual review the distinctiveness of the five articles in the special issue which focus a personal reflection about management research and education in Africa, effective leadership development in Africa and the African diaspora, performance management implementation in the public sector; internationalization process of African businesses with special reference to banks; and strategic factors that could be emphasized by African firms to improve their performance. These papers are synthesized to present a coherent management research framework for Africa.FindingsAfrican management research requires a strategic choice approach, which asks interesting questions focusing on issues relevant to the growth of African businesses and the development of African national economies. African management research needs an identity that is uniquely African such as the intersection of private and public (including governments) interests; and the blurred nature of the formal and informal sectors.Originality/valueThe paper presents some opportunities and value of conducting management research in and about Africa in the areas of leadership and also followership.

Learning to be a Qualitative Management Researcher

Conducting management research underpins management learning and education—therefore how the management researcher or practitioner learns research skills is an important issue to be addressed. This paper focuses upon the skills, knowledge and practices required to conduct qualitative management research, and the learning processes that go into their development. A total of 45 in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the field. From an analysis of the interview data, the types of skills and knowledge required for the production of good qualitative research were identified, and the learning processes and practices associated with those skills were critiqued. It is argued that the processes by which we learn to do qualitative research, and become effective qualitative researchers, involve both the learning of appropriate skills and knowledge and their use and conceptualization through three types of research practice: reflection, reflexivity and phronesis. The implications of the analysis for management learning are presented.

Methodological Challenges Confronted when Conducting Management Research in China

This article addresses some fundamental methodological issues confronting management researchers undertaking research in China. Among other things, it considers the following: cultural factors that might impact on what is a researchable question; sampling issues; difficulties in developing valid research instruments; problems pertaining to data collection; and the challenges of data interpretation. While the issues are by no means unique to China, there are a number of matters that require special attention in the Chinese context. Failure to consider such methodological problems might potentially call into question the findings of otherwise important management studies. Specific recommendations are provided as to how these challenges can be successfully dealt with.

Editor's Comments: Bringing in Consumers

The article argues that businesses have an obligation to provide beneficial products in order to add value to society and satisfy customers. The article explains the benefit of conducting management research with the welfare of the consumer in mind, instead of the welfare of the management. The article argues that consumer research is also more concerned with the management side of the purchasing relationship.

Using reflective learning journals to improve individual and team performance

This paper describes the successful application of reflective learning journals to promote critical self‐awareness and improve both individual and team performance among members in 11 management undergraduate teams conducting management research projects. Qualitative analyses of the journals revealed several major themes; for example, management skills development, leadership, team communications, stresses of team work, and individual versus team work. Analyses of the journaling evaluation data showed that participants found journaling a useful learning tool. Recommendations are presented for those interested in using reflective learning journals to improve individual and team performance.

One Process, Two Audiences;: On the Challenges of Management Research

This paper takes as its focus, the complex, challenging and sometimes problematic relationship between management practice and the practice of management research. Practising managers and management researchers both tend to care passionately about the same subject. However, despite their common concerns, they remain two distinct audiences. This paper describes a five year research process, involving a range of 25 organisations drawn from the public and private sectors. During the period covered by the paper, a network of practitioners and academics co-developed a research agenda and a number of research projects were undertaken to explore this agenda. The projects ranged from a few weeks in some cases, to 12–24 months in most. Furthermore, the projects were about the process of strategic transformation and were informed by complexity theory. The paper presents a brief overview of these projects, their genesis, conduct and deliverables. In so doing, we hope to demonstrate one way in which the two communities identified above can engage in a single process yet each derive benefits in their own terms. Following a discussion of the individual projects, the paper concludes by addressing the two audiences separately. Practical advice is offered on conducting management research. One list of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ (which emerged from the five year study described in the paper) is offered to the practitioner community, whilst a separate list is offered to the academic research community together with some speculations concerning the competencies of research-friendly practitioners and practice-friendly researchers.

The Methodological and Ethical Issues of Conducting Management Research in the Voluntary Sector

This article discusses the methodological and ethical issues involved in conducting research in the voluntary sector. By outlining a proposed research strategy the authors highlight the challenges and issues that voluntary sector researchers face. The article concludes that the nature of the voluntary sector and the unique characteristics of voluntary organizations not only impact on the development of voluntary sector management theory but also on the research design, ethics and practices adopted for empirical studies into voluntary organizations.