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Reflecting and Integrating the Contextual Influences of Ambiguitiesand Institutional Power in Organisational Research Design: A Case of Myanmar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2019

Sandar Win  and
Alexander K. Kofinas
Sandar Win*
Affiliation:
University of Bedfordshire, UK
Alexander K. Kofinas
Affiliation:
University of Bedfordshire, UK
*
Corresponding author: Sandar Win (sandar.win@beds.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Our understanding of how an organisation operates is elucidated by the hostcountry's political system. Myanmar has remained abstruse toresearchers for many decades, as do most emerging markets prior to theirtransition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy such as China.We establish how the problematising and contextualisation of the methodologiesadopted during longitudinal fieldwork in Myanmar (2008 to 2016) has influencedour research focus and question. By reflecting on our experience of conductingorganisational research in a highly institutionalised environment, we haveidentified limitations in the prevalent research methodologies used by theextant literature. Such methodologies tend to be incompatible with the Asiancontext. This process of problematisation required us to remain flexible andadaptive during the process of the generation of the research questions. Weadopted a context-informed theory-building process and reflect on the interplaybetween interviewer, interviewees, and local institutional contexts. Animportant insight from this process was the need to nullify the asymmetry ofpower between the interviewer and interviewees to obtain honest responses ratherthan superficial data that aimed to satisfy and please theinterviewer/institutional context.

摘要

我们对于组织运作的理解是由东道国政治制度来解释的。缅甸几十年来对于研究者而言一直是难于理解的，这同像中国这样的大多数新兴经济体在实现从计划经济转型为市场经济之前的情形一样。我们阐明，在缅甸从事追踪田野研究（2006-2016）期间所采取的问题解决和方法论的情境化，怎样影响了我们的研究焦点和问题。通过反省我们在高度制度化环境下从事组织研究的经验，我们发现，已有文献中采用的主流研究方法存在不足，这些方法论与亚洲情境不契合。解决问题的过程要求我们在产生研究问题的过程中保持灵活性和适应性。我们采用了一个情境知会式理论建立过程，反映访问者、被访者和当地情境的互动。从这个过程中获得的重要洞见在于，要消除访问者和被访者之间的权力不平衡才可以获得诚实的回答，而非获得旨在满足访问者/制度情境的肤浅数据。

Аннотация

Нашепредставлениео том,какработаюторганизации,сводитсякполитическойсистемевконкретнойстране.Втечениемногихдесятилетий,Мьянмаоставаласьтруднодоступнойдляисследователей,как ибольшинстворазвивающихсярынковдопереходаотцентрализованнойплановойэкономикикрыночнойэкономике,как,например,Китай.Мыпоказываем,какимобразомпроблематизацияиконтекстуализацияметодовисследования,которыеприменялисьв ходепродолжительнойполевойработывМьянме(2008–2016 гг),повлиялинапостановкувопросаинаправлениев нашихисследованиях.Наоснованиинашегоопытапроведенияорганизационныхисследованийвстранессильнымиинститутами,мыобнаружилирядограниченийвраспространенныхметодахисследований,которыеиспользуютсявсуществующейлитературе.Такиеметоды,какправило,несовместимысазиатскимконтекстом.Этотпроцесспроблематизациипотребовал,чтобымыоставалисьгибкимииадаптивнымивпроцессепостановкивопросовисследования.Мыиспользоваликонтекстуальныйпроцесспостроениятеории,а такжезадумалисьовзаимодействииинтервьюера,интервьюируемыхиместныхинституциональныхконтекстов.Важнымвыводомизэтогопроцессасталанеобходимостьнейтрализоватьасимметриюнеравенствамеждуинтервьюеромиинтервьюируемымидлятого,чтобыполучитьчестныеответы,а неповерхностныесведения,которыеимеютсвоейцельюпонравитьсяиудовлетворитьинтервьюера/институциональныйконтекст.

Resumen

Nuestro entendimiento de cómo una organización funciona esesclarecido por el sistema político del paísanfitrión. Myanmar ha permanecido recóndito para losinvestigadores durante muchas décadas, al igual que lamayoría de los mercados emergentes antes de su transiciónde una economía de planificación centralizada a unaeconomía de mercado como China. Establecemos cómo laproblematización y contextualización de lasmetodologías adoptadas durante un trabajo de campo longitudinal enMyanmar (2008 a 2016) ha influido en nuestro enfoque y pregunta deinvestigación. Al reflexionar sobre nuestra experiencia llevando acabo investigaciones organizacionales en un entorno altamenteinstitucionalizado, hemos identificado limitaciones en lasmetodologías de investigación prevalecientes utilizadaspor la literatura existente. Tales metodologías tienden a serincompatibles con el contexto asiático. Este proceso deproblematización requirió que nos mantuviéramosflexibles y adaptativos durante el proceso de generación de laspreguntas de investigación. Adoptamos un proceso deconstrucción de teorías basado en el contexto yreflexionamos sobre la interacción entre quién entrevista,los entrevistados y los contextos institucionales locales. Unareflexión importante de este proceso fue la necesidad de anular laasimetría de poder entre el entrevistador y los entrevistados paraobtener respuestas honestas en lugar de datos superficiales quepretendían satisfacer y complacer al entrevistador/ contextoinstitucional.

Keywords

emerging marketsinstitutional theoryinterview methodsqualitative researchresearch methodology新兴市场制度理论访谈法研究方法定性研究развивающиесярынкиинституциональнаятеорияметодыинтервьюметодологияисследованийкачественныеисследованияmercados emergentesteoría institucionalmétodos de entrevistametodología de investigacióninvestigación cualitativa

Information

Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 15 , Special Issue 2: Doing Qualitative Research in Emerging Markets , June 2019 , pp. 341 - 370
Copyright
Copyright © The International Association for Chinese Management Research 2019 

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Footnotes

Accepted by: Guest Editor Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki

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