Awkward ethnography: an untapped resource in organizational studies

Abstract

PurposeThis article explores the analytical gains of what we refer to as “awkward ethnography.” How might our understanding of organizational phenomena benefit from those unexpected moments when our observations are laughed at, when our questions cause discomfort, or when we feel like a failure? While such instances seem to be an inherent aspect of organizational ethnography, they are often silenced or camouflaged by claims of intentionality. This article takes the opposite approach, arguing for the analytical value of awkwardness.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on their respective ethnographic fieldwork in the Danish and Swedish armed forces. Based on observations, participation and interviews in two military units, the analysis focuses on situations that rarely find their way into final research publications. These will be explored as analytically productive material that can provide crucial insights into the organizational context studied.FindingsThe authors’ analysis demonstrates that awkward situations that arise during ethnographic work not only bring about unforeseen insights; they also enable vital analytical opportunities for discovering silent knowledge in the organization which researchers might otherwise not have considered to inquire about or understood the gravity of.Research limitations/implicationsImplied in the suggested methodological approach for ethnographers is an acceptance of awkward situations as productive encounters. This means doing away with ideals for (ethnographic) knowledge production steered by notions of objectivity, instead embracing the affective dimensions of fieldwork.Originality/valueThis research addresses a key, and often silenced, aspect of ethnographic fieldwork, and stresses the unique value of the unintended and unexpected when doing ethnography.

Introducing “navigating failure in ethnography”: a forum about failure in ethnographic research

“…Ethnography is no exception. However, before fleshing out the relationship between fieldwork, ethnography and failure in greater detail, we take our cue from those who have argued that breaking the stigma attached to failure requires leading by example (Jemielniak and Kostera, 2010, p. 336; Sløk-Andersen, 2020, p. 69). We therefore first make a quick detour and revisit our own failures by performing methodological post-ops on our PhD research projects.…”

“…A number of authors have taken this to heart in recent years by writing about various facets of failure in ethnographic research. Pioneers published in this very journal not so long ago, with Sløk-Andersen and Persson (2020, pp. 65, 73) making their case for “the analytical value of awkwardness” in organizational ethnography by highlighting how researchers are able to discover “silent knowledge and assumptions taken for granted in the organization” through moments of “embarrassment and nervousness as our observations are sometimes laughed at, our questions create confusion, or our mere presence causes unease”.…”

“…322–323). Failed attempts at creating rapport can entail backfired jokes or unintended and inappropriate remarks or behavior, which can in turn result in more distance between researchers and interlocutors (Sløk-Andersen and Persson, 2020). Among others, Wästerfors (2022, pp.…”

The fluid affective space of organizational practices

“…This style of doing affective ethnography has been taken up and enriched with an attention to unexpected moment of awkwardness (Sløk-Andersen and Persson, 2021), critical engagement with moments of wonder (Christensen, 2021), affective resistance (Marsh and Sliwa, 2022), affective oscillation (Resch and Steyaert, 2020), the transformation of affective dissonance into affective solidarity (Baxter, 2021), embodied meaning-making (Pors, 2021), ethical enchantment (Bell et al ., 2021), and collaborative affective ethnography (Parolin and Pellegrinelli, 2023). However, the attention to space/place remains rather under track and becomes more precise only in reference to entrepreneurial hubs co-constructing entrepreneurial identity (Katila et al ., 2019), or cultural events as film festivals (De Molli et al ., 2020), urban art (Michels and Steyaert, 2017), or patient community interactions on Twitter (Vidolov et al.…”