BREAKING THE SILENCE ABOUT EXITING FIELDWORK: A RELATIONAL APPROACH AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORIZING

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Michailova, Snejina; Piekkari, Rebecca; Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella; Ritvala, Tina; Mihailova, Irina; Salmi, Asta
• 署名单位: University of Auckland; Aalto University; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Aalto University; Aalto University; Aalto University
• 刊物名称: ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0363-7425
• DOI: 10.5465/amr.2011.0403
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 138-161
• 关键词: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH; THEORY CONSTRUCTION; management; university; REFLEXIVITY; RESEARCHER; KNOWLEDGE; dimension; build; tales

摘要

It is surprising that, to date, a discussion of exiting fieldwork is absent from the management and organization literature an absence we believe is unjustified. We argue that analyzing exit from fieldwork is important for theorizing. We combine two streams of research ethnography in the broader social sciences and business marketing on dissolving relationships to propose a relational framework for conceptualizing and analyzing exit. The framework represents a first attempt to examine exiting in a systematic and nuanced manner, with the objective of understanding why and how breaking the silence about exiting fieldwork may advance theorizing. We develop a typology of four exit types leading to four different approaches to theorizing. We suggest that exit may bring about a new beginning in theorizing rather than closure and that it is not only high-quality relationships in the field but also those that are disruptive that may lead to interesting theorizing.