Conducting Research via Interviews

1. Conducting Researchvia Interviews • Collecting & analyzing interview data • Sekaran & Saks Texts • Example of structured interview • Rudermann et al article

2. Why conduct interviews • To form OR test hypotheses • To identify samples needed for hypothesis-testing research • To gather more detailed info • Before vs. after data collection

3. Issues to consider • Interview Participants • Methods of interviewing • How to increase interviewee motivation • Structure of interviews • Avoiding Bias • Questioning Techniques

4. Interview Participants • Opportunity vs. Representative samples • Benefits to generalization • Benefits to having formal/informal group Leaders in org/market research • Source of ‘rich’ data • Adding credibility to study

5. Interview Methods • Face-Face • Telephone

6. Interview Methods • Face to face • Direct observation • Non-verbal body cues, work context, response to physical/visual stimuli • Cost • Time, geographic constraints, more personnel, safety

7. Interview Methods • Telephone • Response rate issues • Relatively higher than face-face interview • Completion rate issues • Restricts complexity & length of interview

8. Interviewee motivation • Interviewees perceptions of the value of research • Providing information about Sponsor • Rapport • Interviewer’s Listening skills & empathy • Topic & format • Setting • Work vs. non-work

9. Interview Structure • Unstructured • Structured

10. Interview Structure • Unstructured • Uncover preliminary issues to identify variables needing further study • Broad, open questions • Job-level and work type • Monosyllabic answers • Positive vs. negative responses • Non-cooperative interviewees • Supervisory vs. non-supervisory employees Sekaran

11. Interview Structure • Structured Interviews • Qs focus on relevant factors • Each P asked same qs • Sometimes deviate from interview protocol to uncover new factors • Use of Visual aids & physical stimuli • Marketing, children, issues that are hard to articulate • Advantages over questionnaire • Terminating data collection Sekaran, Saks

12. Avoiding Bias • Sources of Interviewer bias • Lack of trust & rapport • Mis-interpretation/distortion responses • Encouraging or discouraging certain types of responses via gestures/facial expressions • Not Listening attentively • Not Paraphrasing answers • Not Repeating/clarifying questions • Not Being tactful Sekaran

13. Avoiding Bias • Sources of Interviewee Bias • Not revealing true opinions/experiences • Interviewee says what s/he thinks interviewer wants to hear • Not understanding questions • Not liking interviewer • Giving ‘socially desirable’ responses Sekaran

14. Avoiding Bias • Situational bias • Reasons for non-participation • Unwillingness, inability • Different levels of rapport/trust across different participants/interviewers • Physical setting • Degree to which it inhibits honesty Sekaran

15. Questioning Techniques • Funnel technique • Sequence & Level of specificity of questions • Familiarity w/interviewee’s understanding • Contamination of responses • Perceived spontaneity, decreased self-consciousness, rapport • Probes & follow-up qs Sekaran, Saks

16. Questioning Techniques • Unbiased questioning • Loaded/leading questions • Clarifying Issues • Re-stating/rephrasing • Helping respondent think through issues • Rephrase depending on verbalization ability Sekaran

17. Questioning TechniquesNote Taking • Intrusiveness • Focus on summarizing • Focus on behavior • Effect on self-consciousness • Effect on rapport • Permission for taping • Effects on interviewee inhibition • Take notes (or tape) after interview Saks

18. Conducting Researchvia Interviews • Collecting & analyzing interview data • Sekaran & Saks Texts • Example of structured interview • Rudermann et al article

19. Rudermann et al Study • Benefits of non-job roles for managerial women • Hypothesis: Experiences in personal roles enrich managerial skills • What percentage of women mention this hypothesis in their interviews? • What percentage of all responses to interviews support this hypothesis?

20. Participants • 74% of women participating in a women-only leadership devel’t prg • Avg. Age=40 (range=26-57) • 92% White • Avg. Salary =~78K (SD= ~32k)

21. Participants • Rank • Middle =49%, • Upper middle =34% Figure? • Exec=17% • 51% had post-graduate education • 50% had children under 18 yrs • 71% in committed relationships • 84% in Fortune 500 corporations

22. Procedure • Faxed qs to participants a few days before interview • Pilot tested interview qs on 28 women managers • Tape-recorded and transcribed each interview

23. Measures • Open-ended questions on • Different types of roles managers held • Challenges faced in roles • Are there any dimensions/aspects of personal life that enhance your professional life? • Use of follow up qs and probes to obtain details on roles

24. Data Analysis • Applied grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) • Coding techniques Boyatzis (1998) • Developed initial hypotheses during interviews with pilot and study 1 participants

25. Interview Coding • 2 raters read 30 interviews many times • Developed excerpts of each P’s answer • Summarized excerpts • Organized summaries & sample quotes • Compared & contrasted quotes and summaries for each case to id 13 patterns & themes • Examined remaining interviews for add’l themes

26. Interview Coding • 13 themes reduced to 6 categories • Reviewed all excerpts to confirm categorization • Developed codebook explaining 6 themes • 66.7% to 90.9% inter-rater agreement on coding of themes • Not good according to Boyatzis, 1998

27. Non-work roles provide… % of Sample Stating % Rater Agree-ment Opportunities to enhance inter-personal skills 42 90.2 Psychological benefits 23 75.9 Emotional support & advice 19 90.9 Results

28. Discussion • Tentative support for hypothesis • Alternative ways of presenting data to support hypothesis