Longitudinal Multi-case Study Research Articles

Complications of the Righteous: Activist Teaching and the New Teacher

Taken from a larger, longitudinal multi-case study examining the decisions and choices (pedagogically and professionally) of early career social studies teachers this article analyzes and describes a single case study using the theoretical frameworks of Teaching Like an Activist and The Pedagogy of Teacher Activism. This article describes the pedagogical and curricular choices Ms. Jane, the teacher, makes during her first two years of teaching middle school. Initially, she identified as a social justice educator, but she shifted over the course of the study later identifying as an activist educator as she became more involved in political and social activism in opposition to the presidency of Donald Trump. Both identities impact how she taught and how she engaged professionally at her school site.

A Longitudinal Multicase Study About the Board-Game Format of an Educational Self-Talk Intervention

This study explored goal-directed self-talk and its optimization through educational self-talk interventions, focusing on a novel sports-oriented board-game intervention. Examining a practitioner’s experiences and diverse participant profiles, including an elite tennis player, a recreational athlete, a football referee, and a tennis coach, the research employed four in-depth case studies. A unique aspect of this study involved intentional control transfer from practitioner to client, documented through a practitioner diary and postintervention interviews. Participants generally expressed appreciation for the intervention; however, the coach’s case necessitated bespoke adjustments, underscoring the importance of contextual sensitivity in applied practice. The educational self-talk intervention reportedly facilitated the analytical deconstruction of challenges, enhancing self-regulation through goal-directed self-talk. The study underscored the pedagogical merit of the board game and observed a substantive transfer of control from practitioner to participant over the intervention’s longitudinal trajectory. Detailed recommendations have been crafted for practitioners to implement the educational self-talk intervention effectively in their practice.

DYNAMICS AND CONSTRAINTS OF THE START-UP LEGITIMATION PROCESS: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTIFICATION

From inception, start-ups are torn between two opposing legitimacy pressures: the need to differentiate from competitors and the need to conform to stakeholders’ expectations. In this study, we adopt an organizational identification perspective, coupled with a legitimacy-seeking lens, to explore the start-up legitimation progress for entrepreneurs who identify with their ventures either intrinsically or instrumentally. Applying a longitudinal multi-case study design and using rich interview data, we track the decisions and actions of ten Russian high-tech start-ups over a twenty-month period. Our findings reveal that start-up legitimation is a dynamic process guided by the organizational identification of the founders and bounded by identity tensions. The study extends the literature on new venture legitimation and its constraints. Theoretical and practitioner implications are discussed.

Preparing Novice Teachers to Differentiate Instruction: Implications of a Longitudinal Study

This longitudinal multi-case study explored four early career teachers’ attempts to differentiate instruction in schools that varied in their level of support for this pedagogical approach. It offered an in-depth examination of the experiences of novices who learned about the pedagogical tools of differentiation with depth and fidelity through the same preservice instruction, developed similar commitments to implementing them, and attempted to implement them in contrasting inservice settings. A large and rich data corpus collected across 4 years included participant interviews, observations of participants’ teaching practices, classroom artifacts, and interviews with participants’ mentors. Findings illustrated novices’ contrasting multi-year learning trajectories related to differentiation embedded within varied school settings. They also revealed the substantive role novices’ shifting visions of the enactment of practice played in appropriating differentiation’s pedagogical tools during their early careers. Recommendations for teacher educators who prepare teacher candidates to differentiate are provided.

Becoming a general practice supervisor: A longitudinal multi-case study exploring key supportive factors.

Supervision of trainees in the health care professions is recognised internationally as core to safe and effective patient care. A supervisor workforce in general practice (GP) is critical to the profession and to the communities where they work and can be demanding as general practitioners incorporate workplace-based education and support of their trainees into their daily consulting work. Little is known about how this is experienced by new supervisors; therefore, this research sought to understand factors that play a significant role in the first semester of becoming a supervisor. An exploratory multi-case study design was used; new general practice supervisors were the unit of analysis. Four data sources were captured longitudinally: semi-structured interviews at the beginning and end of the semester, audio diaries throughout and a mid-semester focus group. Template analysis was used, sensitised by a community of practice theoretical framework. Seven new supervisors participated. Five interdependent key factors played a significant role in general practitioners becoming supervisors: (1) making meaning of the role, (2) reconciling multiple roles, (3) building a relationship with the trainee, (4) receiving support from the training practice and the training programme and (5) joining peer communities of new and experienced supervisors. Becoming a general practice supervisor is situated in the context of a workplace delivering clinical services, a training programme and personal life circumstances. It can be challenging and rewarding. Insufficient support may result in unintended attrition. Learning in this role is facilitated by enabling the new supervisor to find meaning in the role; structured allocation of time to engage effectively; a positive trainee-supervisor relationship; administrative support by practices; information, advice and remuneration from the training programme; and interactions with new and experienced supervisor peers.

Early-career employees sensemaking strategies in organizationally constrained workplaces: a longitudinal multiple-case study

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the sensemaking strategies employed by early-career employees working within organizationally constrained environments.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in the sensemaking-as-accomplishment framework, a longitudinal multi-case study was conducted, involving three early-career employees. These participants were interviewed multiple times concerning tasks they themselves identified as anomalous and ambiguous.FindingsThe study's findings illuminate how early-career employees utilize sensemaking strategies to accomplish anomalous-ambiguous tasks. These strategies are interwoven with deliberate efforts to mitigate organizational constraints that exist in the organization or arise during the execution of complex tasks.Research limitations/implicationsNotable limitation pertains to the time gap between task completion and the interviews. Conducting real-time interviews concurrently with task execution or immediately afterward was not feasible due to constraints in participant availability. This research has implications for organizational learning initiatives, particularly those encompassing employee-driven self-learning components. Insights derived from studies like this can inform the development of effective self-learning schemes within organizations.Originality/valuePrevious sensemaking research focused on what takes place in high-reliability organizations. This study explored sensemaking strategies in workplaces that are organizationally constrained.

Pathways of development of dynamic capabilities for servitization transformation: A longitudinal multi-case study

Servitization is a transformation process requiring manufacturers to develop dynamic capabilities to support the change process and overcome emerging challenges over time. In this paper, we study pathways of development of dynamic capabilities for servitization transformation (the sequence of the development of capabilities and how they work together over time) and how they relate to servitization transformation outcomes. We do so based on six longitudinal in-depth case studies of manufacturing firms which, having departed from similar servitization maturity starting points, followed different capability development pathways in their transformation processes and achieved different outcomes. We found that successful pathways of development of capabilities for servitization transformation are associated with (1) developing (first-order) dynamic service provision capabilities sequentially, following a specific order over time and (2) developing (second-order) dynamic reconfiguring capabilities to overcome challenges and sustain the development of service provision capabilities and the transformation process. Our study contributes to the literature by providing an in-depth understanding of how the pathways of development of dynamic capabilities over time influence the outcomes of the servitization transformation process. It is one of the first studies to unveil in detail mechanisms by which different reconfiguring and service provision capabilities work together over time to facilitate the servitization transformation process.

From product to platform: How incumbents' assumptions and choices shape their platform strategy

Platform ecosystems have attracted a lot of attention as a new way of value creation and capture. In a longitudinal multi-case study, we compare the transformation efforts of two incumbents in the agricultural equipment industry between 2012 and 2021. We identify a set of interdependent choices incumbents make to adapt their model of value creation and capture toward a platform ecosystem. Based on an in-depth comparison, we show that incumbents' assessment of the potential of their product business may lead to distinct platform positioning – the platform as an extension of the legacy business (i.e., product-centric), or a product-independent platform. While our results indicate that both can initiate viable pathways for incumbents in their transition, we find that product-independent and product-centric positioning lead to distinct choice patterns and outcomes at the different levels of the emerging platform ecosystem.

Multimedia Advertising and Marketing Methods in the Context of Digital Communication

This study uses a longitudinal multi-case study design and the objectives of the study are: 1. to explore the application of digital content marketing (DCM) strategies in the context of digital communication; 2. to identify the communication objectives used in their DCM strategies for social media using luxury car brands as a case study; 3. to assess the engagement (reactions, shares, views) of each brand on social media; 4. to use Facebook as a case study to examine the type of media used for his advertising content (text, links, photos, videos, hashtags). The analysis included identifying marketing communication objectives through media content types, social media content marketing strategies and social media indicators. The research results show that brand awareness, brand personality and brand distinctiveness are the most frequently used goals in multimedia advertising and marketing, which makes the focus of digital content advertising marketing used by brands on social media more visible and recognizable, and humanized features and attitudes are reflected on social media.

Supplier absorptive capacity: learning via boundary objects in sustainability-oriented supplier development initiatives

PurposeTo study the learning processes and mechanisms involved in sustainability-oriented supplier development (SSD), including how knowledge is transmitted by the buyer and how it is received, understood and internalised by the supplier.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory longitudinal multi-case study approach is adopted. The research context is a social SSD project focusing on occupational health and safety (OHS) management at four supplier factories. The paper draws on the constructs of absorptive capacity and boundary objects.FindingsThe development of a supplier's absorptive capacity for OHS management is triggered by the transfer of boundary objects that are created by the buyer. Findings suggest that each supplier starts explorative learning in a similar and passive way in order to accept the knowledge, but then each supplier proactively transforms and exploits the knowledge through continuous sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring loops that develop the boundary objects in a way that fits their own needs and contexts, incorporating the objects into organisational structures and routines.Research limitations/implicationsThe research furthers the understanding of the development of supplier absorptive capacity for sustainability via SSD projects, including how it is triggered and sustained. The impact of ostensive and performative aspects of boundary objects on knowledge transfer is presented. Finally, insight is provided into how absorptive capacity and dynamic capabilities are linked in the context of SSD.Practical implicationsBuying firms should seek to develop boundary objects that can trigger and maintain learning momentum for sustainability at supplier organisations in addition to effectively transferring SSD-related sustainability knowledge. There is also a need to allow for sufficient flexibility in the design of the boundary objects, and to pay sufficient attention to how suppliers contextualise and embed them into their own organisations, providing support for this process where necessary. For the supplier, establishing structures and routines for OHS management can help to prepare for future audits, thereby reducing audit fatigue.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the supply chain learning literature by exploring the development of supplier absorptive capacity for sustainability triggered by the focal buying firm. It sheds new light on the role of boundary objects for facilitating knowledge transfer and learning between supply chain members in the context of SSD projects.

Rebuilding a Cluster While Protecting Knowledge within Low-Medium-Tech Supplier SMEs: A Spanish and French Comparison

Most of SMEs are engaged in open innovation practices, but they do not benefit from open innovation or from patenting in the same way as larger firms do. At the same time SMEs, as territorialized suppliers, play a crucial role within evolving regional specialization. In this context the purpose of our study is to examine how low and medium technology supplier SMEs learn and organize themselves at a territorial level to address the challenge of IP protection in an open innovation paradigm. We used a qualitative method with a longitudinal multi-case study involving 27 companies with a historical lance to compare the territorial dynamics of knowledge protection within clustered supplier SMEs in two European regions. The results show they protect their knowledge by learning how to design, in a direct relationship with clients, customized complex technological products to develop a new organizational matrix of multidisciplinary knowledge that reveals itself difficult to imitate within the clusters. They also cope with other supplier firms across sectors even if they show societal path dependencies in the way to build cooperation. This dynamic has given birth to changing structural relationships among regionally clustered SMEs and between them and large firms.

The pricing capability lifecycle of digital innovations

ABSTRACT The pricing capability provides a basis for firms’ competitive advantage. However, to date, the literature has not investigated how this capability forms, develops, and matures. In this study, we define the pricing capability as a dynamic capability consisting of three operational building blocks (tools and data, human and relational resources, and processes, routines, and mechanisms) as well as two dynamic capability building blocks (alertness and responsiveness, and value-based strategic thinking). Furthermore, we propose the pricing capability lifecycle of digital innovations that incorporates insights of the dynamic capabilities view (DCV). Based on a longitudinal multi-case study of five firms, we found that the building blocks of pricing capability co-evolve together through the ad-hoc and advanced phases to the mature phase. The study contributes to the literature by integrating insights from DCV into the pricing of digital innovations.

Examining retail business model transformation: a longitudinal study of the transition to omnichannel order fulfillment

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to provide a theoretical explanation of the strategic and structural changes occurring in US omnichannel retail supply chains. Using longitudinal data, the research documents transitions in retailers' supply chain strategies, specifically related to the order fulfillment process. It further offers explanation for how and why these transitions occurred.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a process theory lens to explain the business model transformation of the omnichannel order fulfillment process. Using a case study approach, a longitudinal multicase study was conducted with six large US retailers over a span of 10 years. Within-case and cross-case analysis identifies the sequence and rationale of different strategic and structural shifts in retailers' omnichannel order fulfillment strategy.FindingsThe within- and cross-case analyses offer insight into how the transitions occur, at what rate they occur across several different retailers, and why the rate can differ across the stages of omnichannel transition among retailers. The research documents that retailers took varied approaches to strategically develop and structurally change their order fulfillment processes in their transition to omnichannel retail. The findings reveal that these approaches are dependent on retailers' store-based logistics capabilities and specific supply chain arrangements within their retail segment.Research limitations/implicationsThe longitudinal and theoretically driven approach provides researchers a better understanding of the business model transformation in US retail omnichannel operations. This approach builds theoretical context around why and how strategic and structural changes in omnichannel fulfillment occurred over time. It also explains the underlying omnichannel phenomenon more accurately than research focused on discrete changes at a single point in time.Practical implicationsThe findings and managerial insights can assist practitioners in understanding how environmental changes have led to strategic and structural shifts across different stages of omnichannel fulfillment evolution. These insights also provide guidance to retailers that are currently in early stages of developing their omnichannel fulfillment strategy.Originality/valueLogistics and fulfillment operations of retailers have changed dramatically over the last 10–15 years. The authors apply a process theory lens to explain how and why retailers have integrated their channels to achieve omnichannel success at the store level.

Digital transformation of global business processes: the role of dual embeddedness

PurposeWhile much existing research on multinational corporation (MNC) digital transformation has followed a linear design and implementation logic using cross-sectional data, the multiple and divergent needs of headquarters (HQ) and subsidiaries suggest that MNC digital transformation actually involves a more iterative journey. The purpose of this paper is to apply the theoretical perspective of embeddedness to better define the complexities of MNC digital transformation, and identify how HQ and subsidiaries can navigate the complexities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a longitudinal multi-case study of five Forbes Global 2000 firms that are HQ in Europe with large subsidiaries in the USA. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 26 senior executives at HQ and subsidiaries over a 15-month period.FindingsThe process of digital transformation is significantly influenced by internal embeddedness (relationship of HQ with subsidiaries and across subsidiaries) and external embeddedness (relationship of subsidiaries with their local markets), and also by strategy, financial and technology considerations. While HQ and subsidiaries have different perspectives, an understanding of these influences can help HQ and subsidiaries navigate digital transformation.Research limitations/implicationsHQ and subsidiaries can apply insights from this research to navigate the complexities of digital transformation.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that embeddedness is a useful theory to understand the complexities of MNC digital transformation.

Novice social studies teachers’ implementation of differentiation: A longitudinal multicase study

ABSTRACTThis longitudinal qualitative multicase study of social studies teachers’ implementation of differentiation examined two educators’ experiences as teacher candidates and beginning teachers, drawing upon theoretical perspectives of novice teacher appropriation of pedagogies across learning-to-teach settings. The study’s first phase explored how participants conceptualized differentiation and anticipated implementing it in future practice as they learned about it in depth and with fidelity in a teacher preparation course about this pedagogical approach. The second phase examined how, as first and second-year teachers, participants’ conceptions of differentiation evolved as they gained experience, participants implemented differentiation, and contextual factors shaped their conceptions and implementation. Extensive data collection across three years supported rich exploration of the evolution of participant experiences. Findings indicated that when their early career social studies instruction involved fact-focused curricula rather than authentic disciplinary inquiry, participants did not see meaningful differences among students or a corresponding need for differentiation.

Revisiting Group-Based Technology Adoption as a Dynamic Process: The Role of Changing Attitude-Rationale Configurations

In this study, we set out to better understand the dynamics behind group-based technology adoption by investigating the underlying mechanisms of changes in collective adoption decisions over time. Using a longitudinal multi-case study of production teams in the British oil and gas industry, we outline how internally or externally triggered modifications to the constellation of adoption rationales and attitudes toward a focal technology between subgroups caused changes to adoption decisions within a team. The constellations further seemed to impact usage patterns including conflicts about ICT use and the stability of adoption. Based on these observations, we suggest that group-based adoption can be differentiated in qualitatively different technology adoption states (TAS), which emerge as the result of disparate attitude-rationale configurations across subgroups in a user collective. With this reconceptualization of collective adoption as technology adoption states, our study extends current group-based models by providing a new, qualitative lens to view the creation and stability of adoption patterns in complex user groups. With this, our study offers a process view on the (dis)continuance of information systems and provides a basis for practical guidelines on how to deal with problematic adoption situations when actors from multiple (sub)groups are involved.

Doing Participatory Action Research in a Multicase Study

In this article, we describe an approach for conducting participatory action research (PAR) in a longitudinal multicase study, with particular focus on cross-case analysis. Existing literature has documented the practice of PAR in single-case studies, but far less has been written on how to conduct PAR across multiple cases. There is also a need for instructional examples of multicase study application, particularly methods of cross-case analysis. In PAR, research methods—including data analysis methods—have the power to shape participant inclusion or exclusion, involvement or attrition, and mobilization of knowledge in real time. In response to these challenges, we discuss the analysis methods used in a PAR study of health leadership in Canada. The project, which consisted of six case studies of leadership in major health system change, involved health leaders as collaborators. We address the challenges of doing PAR with collaborators facing time limitations and suggest a project structure for involving collaborators at critical junctures. We present a detailed, two-part method for conducting cross-case data analysis. Our method involved targeted collaborator involvement in data interpretation while also ensuring faithfulness to the coded data. We describe our process for mobilizing study findings through a deliberative dialogue with health leaders.

Grazing, exploring and networking for sustainability-oriented innovations in learning-action networks: an SME perspective

With sustainability-oriented innovations (SOIs) small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can conquer niche markets, cut resource usage and improve the quality of life. SMEs follow different strategic orientations for SOIs. They are conditioned by their organizational structures, capabilities and interaction with the business, regulatory and knowledge network. Usually, SMEs find it easier to span their boundaries to the business network. This research explores, in a longitudinal multi-case study, how the interaction with the knowledge network can condition an SME's strategic orientation. In the analysis of a learning-action network established by a research institute, three network-patterns (grazer, explorer and networker) are observed which result from different SME boundary-spanning processes. A central role is played by the boundary spanners who influence to which degree the SME can build up exploratory and exploitative learning capabilities to further deploy, push forward or generically develop its strategic orientation for SOIs in interaction with the knowledge network.

“Are they becoming more reflective and/or efficacious?” A conceptual model mapping how teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs might grow

Conceptual models can fulfil important educative roles, particularly in fields where there are few such models and where constructs are confused, as in research into teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. In this area, one model developed in the late twentieth century subsequently became dominant, but seems flawed. This article addresses criticisms of it and then presents an alternative, this centred on a reflective learning cycle. The new model emerged from a qualitative longitudinal multi-case study of English language teachers developing practical knowledge and self-efficacy beliefs while on an in-service teacher education programme in Oman. Its relevance for other contexts is considered.

Privileging drama and dramatic play to support young children’s writing development: a full year study of one early years’ classroom

This article describes a longitudinal multi-case study of a preparatory classroom where dramatic pedagogies were used as a key approach to the development of early literacy. Including guided drama, puppetry and dramatic play, the approach also made use of the explicit teaching of phonics (letter/sound relationships and phonemic awareness skills). Extracts from three key drama events are used to illustrate the findings from the study. The implications of these findings for current early years’ pedagogies are also explored.