Experiencing the Field

The methodological and practical challenges associated with ethnographic field research in organization studies are well documented within the qualitative research methods literature. Experiencing the Field provides new insights into how organizational ethnography is accomplished in a range of organizational contexts. It considers the challenges involved in applying methods in practice, and how often unforeseen political and ethical dilemmas place ethnographers in research situations and fieldwork relationships which no amount of training can fully prepare them for. Drawing on the authors' first-hand knowledge and experience of challenging research settings, Experiencing the Field provides a practical guide to the complex nature and practice of organizational ethnography. Each chapter examines the aims of organizational ethnography, field roles and relationships, and research techniques ethnographers employ in situ to address the difficulties commonly associated with contemporary ethnographic fieldwork. This book is a useful guide to contemporary organizational ethnographic theory, method and practice for emerging doctoral research scholars and experienced researchers.