Qualitative diaries: uncovering the complexities of work‐life decision‐making

2014

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

Self Cite

This study explores the impact of flexible working on the daily experiences of work–family conflict for dual‐earner couples with child dependants. In exploring these daily experiences, the occurrence of maternal gatekeeping behaviours, and the relationship between flexible working and such behaviours is investigated. We draw on episodic and longitudinal data from qualitative diaries kept for a 1‐month period by both members of 24 couples (48 participants) as well as from introductory and subsequent in‐depth qualitative interviews with the couples, both together and apart. We report an evidence suggesting that work–family conflicts are experienced and resolved differently, depending on whether it is the male or the female who works flexibly within dual‐earner couples. This link between flexible working and gender is demonstrated to have an important impact on maternal gatekeeping behaviours, which are highlighted as playing a crucial role in such daily experiences and how they are resolved. Practitioner points Traditional gender norms still play a role in parents' decisions to work flexibly and workers who opt for non‐traditional routes may feel stigmatized. HR departments and employers need to promote the legitimacy of male access to flexible working and work–life balance policies, so these are not perceived as opportunities for mothers alone. Greater father take‐up of work–life balance initiatives that offer more opportunities for involvement in childcare should be encouraged. Employers should offer a variety of flexible working arrangements to provide employees with desirable and healthy resolution options when faced with incidents of work–family conflict.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Context Of the Couplementioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible working, work–family conflict, and maternal gatekeeping: The daily experiences of dual‐earner couples

Radcliffe

2014

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

Self Cite

“…Despite the rise in diary studies of a qualitative nature, relatively few publications devote time towards assessing the specific contribution of qualitative diary studies (Symon, ). Notable exceptions include a recent account by Radcliffe () and that of Waddingham () who both discuss the contribution as capturing episodic data of a dynamic nature that is particularly suitable for extrapolating variables that operate outside of the work domain but that are crucial to our interpretation of job roles. Such complexity, they argue, cannot be elucidated from more traditional data collection methods.…”

Section: Diary Studies In Work Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodological considerations in the use of audio diaries in work psychology: Adding to the qualitative toolkit

Crozier

2015

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

The use of longitudinal methodology as a means of capturing the intricacies in complex organizational phenomena is well documented, and many different research strategies for longitudinal designs have been put forward from both a qualitative and quantitative stance. This study explores a specific emergent qualitative methodology, audio diaries, and assesses their utility for work psychology research drawing on the findings from a four‐stage study addressing transient working patterns and stress in UK temporary workers. Specifically, we explore some important methodological, analytical and technical issues for practitioners and researchers who seek to use these methods and explain how this type of methodology has much to offer when studying stress and affective experiences at work. We provide support for the need to implement pluralistic and complementary methodological approaches in unearthing the depth in sense‐making and assert their capacity to further illuminate the process orientation of stress.Practitioner points This study illustrates the importance of verbalization in documenting stress and affective experience as a mechanism for accessing cognitive processes in making sense of such experience.This study compares audio diaries with more traditional qualitative methods to assess applicability to different research contexts.This study provides practical guidance and a methodological framework for the design of audio diary research and design, taking into account challenges and solutions for researchers and practitioners.

“…Template analysis (King, , ) is a form of generic thematic approach in that it is not tied into any particular theoretical or philosophical position (King and Brookes, ). It has been used on many different types of qualitative data, for example interview data (Kenny and Briner, ); case study data (Waring and Wainwright, ); diary data (Radcliffe, ) and visual data (Simpson et al ., ).…”

Section: The Types Of Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Qualitative Data Analysis: Exploring Themes, Metaphors and Stories

European Management Review

Bishop

2018

This paper explores the processes and outcomes of using three different forms of data analytic processes to analyse the same set of qualitative data. The dataset are 24 in‐depth qualitative interviews with taxi drivers about their experiences of dignity at work. To enable an effective comparison of techniques, three types of analysis are used which rely on similar categorisation processes: template analysis; story analysis; and metaphor analysis. In presenting the analysis the aims are to draw attention to the research questions and opportunities for theorising that might be enabled by a given analytic approach and highlight some of the rich variety of analytic approaches available to the qualitative management researcher. Hence we offer a novel, empirical account of the practical use of these three approaches with the intention of potentially expanding the analytic toolkit of other qualitative researchers and promoting the use of a range of different forms of qualitative data analysis. It is argued that given the increasing trend towards standardisation in qualitative management research, it is important to promote alternatives within the qualitative researcher's analytic toolkit.