Case Study Research: Making Sense in the Workplace

In keeping with the theme of conducting research in the workplace, making better sense of workplace issues, I have a new publication titled Case Study Research: A Valuable Learning Tool for Performance Improvement Professionals.  This publications provides general information relating to case study research that is available to managers and practitioners alike, and coincides with my previous publication on Grounded Theory Building. Both of these articles help provide tools for the manager and practitioner to make better sense of problems they may encounter in the workplace.

This article was published in Performance Improvement Journal (PI) with the support from one of my peers, S. Danks. The abstract for this article is provided below along with the APA reference for the article.

Abstract:

Although it is sometimes recommended that performance improvement (PI) professionals include experimental research designs in their repertoire of PI tools and methods, it has been long understood that experimental designs can be difficult to implement due to impediments resulting from the complex nature of the organizational settings. However, the utilization of case study research has proven to be an effective alternative to aid in the identification of strengths and opportunities for the improvement of organizational procedures, policies, processes, or programs. Case study research helps managers and practitioners make sense of real world problems. This article presents a summary of steps in the design of case study research and provides examples of how these methods have been used within organizational settings. Implications for PI practitioners are provided.

Turner, J. R., & Danks, S. (2014). Case study research: A valuable learning tool for performance improvement professionals. Performance Improvement, 53, 24-31. doi:10.1002/pfi.21406