Qualitative research is a domain that is often ignored in popular academia. Most academics or research firms are more concerned with the collection and analysis of quantitative data and adherence to discrete methods. However, Dr. Van den Hoonard pointed out in her seminar on qualitative research that to pursue only quantitative solutions at the expense of qualitative ones may prove to be a grievous error.
Qualitative research has a deeply laid history. It began with the notion of positivism hundreds of years ago. Proponents of this ideal believed that reality was waiting to be discovered. Their studies were based on theories and hypotheses, cause and effect, and the exploration of social norms and laws. Above all else, positivists desired objectivity; this aspiration is also shared by those who practice qualitative research today.
There was a particular thought Dr. Van den Hoonard raised that resonated with me. She had quoted a passage, saying that if we believe a situation is real, it is real in its consequences. Thus, our own beliefs tended to affect the outcomes of various situations. The example she gave illuminated this fact: If a server believes that women are not as good tippers as men are, then that server will subconsciously give women worse service because that belief has festered in their mind.
This notion of our beliefs affecting outcomes is one that I would do well to heed in my life. I tend to have a very logical outlook on a lot of things. I will admit that my logic can be biased and, at times, that bias causes certain beliefs that manifest in my subconscious. Thinking along this thought pattern, I must be more willing to accept that people are good and have good motives or I may draw conclusions about them that are not fair by flawed tacit knowledge. If I was managing a company and I had some inaccurate belief in my subconscious, I would constantly seek to find problems with certain people working under me which would not be fair to them or myself since the person in question would be treated unfairly and also because I might miss out on opportunities to gain productivity out of that employee. It seems important that we take nothing for granted and try not to assume anything about people until we know it for sure.
Another portion of Dr. Van den Hoonard’s lecture focused on the students doing some qualitative research of our own – or at least the beginning steps of it. I went to the UNB Bookstore and observed people walking around the store and those who entered and left as well. I observed some things I may not have noticed before. I saw that many people walking into the store did so quickly and with purpose. Those walking out did so at a more leisurely pace and tried to appear as if they were busy with activities such as fidgeting with the bags containing their purchases or checking their cell phones. Very few walked in and out of the store at a leisurely pace and seemed to not busy themselves afterwards. I think that is one of the important facets of qualitative research: To be able to find things that you normally would not see unless you were looking for them. It is a skill we practice far too little in our daily lives and is something I believe can make me far more insightful as a person and a prospective manager.
Other concepts were discussed as well including sensitizing concepts and the composition of groups at firms or elsewhere. Civil inattention is one sensitizing concept that can be evidenced by anything such as people ignoring people who are having an argument or patrons in a cafe appearing to go about their routine even if another patron is doing something strange and interesting. There is a tendency to act like we ignore things because that process is more socially acceptable than involving ourselves in something that does not directly affect us. Another sensitizing concept is the fact that widows feel that they must keep up appearances to not seem overly depressed upon the death of their spouse for fear of driving others away. We also learned from qualitative research that ethnic groups identify themselves as separate entities both because they believe they are different and because those outside of their group perceive them as being different. Qualitative research seems like the study of what is normally unseen.
Social reality is constructed by social actors. That was the main message of the seminar for me. Things might not always be as they appear or we might not always see the true reality of a situation because the one that we have composed in our minds and beliefs is blocking our view of it. Qualitative research gives you an insight into this other world. I like to think of it as a breath of fresh air. I enjoy thinking outside of the box and employed inductive methods from time to time. As Dr. Van den Hoonard described, you get to take detours with qualitative methods that you cannot take with the rigidity of quantitative methods. These detours hold different truths that we may normally ignore. Ignoring these truths may prove quite grievous indeed as it holds the power to skew out view of the world into something we construct for ourselves – some type of fallacy – that may omit important details that we can use to enrich our lives and hone our skills as people in positions of authority. Many business topics are about the numbers. I think that if I am able to employ a qualitative look at things every now and then, I will be more successful in my MBA program and as a manager later in life.
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