This document provides advice for organizational research issues that may arise during the research process. It addresses potential challenges in initial access to organizations, maintaining organizational support, managing ethical considerations, ensuring appropriate participant selection and consent, dealing with time management and data protection, and handling disputes over research findings. Recommendations include having high-level commitments, fallback plans, signed agreements, clear communication of research parameters, adherence to ethical guidelines, and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.

1. Organisational research
What could possibly go wrong?

3. Access to data
• How do you get in initial contact with the
organisation?
– Find the gatekeeper
– Use personal contacts
– Make friends – bribe
– Use Twitter
– Use your professional networks, especially
through membership bodies such as CILIP, ASIST,
BCS

4. Organisational issues post-access 1
• What should you do if the organisation closes?
– Reflect on stage of process
• Find a new organisation
• Use contacts from closed organisation
• Use comparative case studies
• Revise research aims/research questions
• Be careful in choice of organisation at the start: do
what businesses do when awarding a contract

5. • What do you do if you lose the support of your
organisation/it withdraws?
– Have commitment at top level beforehand
– Cry/have a drink/breathe
– Plan B: approach others
– Be proactive
– Use multiple case studies
• What can you do to ensure that organisational change
does not impact your research?
– Have a signed contract/agreement and remind
organisation of this
– Possible negotiation of contract beforehand
Organisational issues post-access 2

6. Ethics
• What can you do to address ethical issues?
– Consider ethical implications of research prior to
beginning field work, and be aware of
organisation’s ethical policies
– Follow your University’s ethical
processes/guidelines

7. • How do you manage potential unrealistic
expectations?
– Be clear from the start
– Outline: remit, your role, their role, parameters
– Include what the research is not
• How do you avoid conflict regarding project aims
and organisation’s aims?
– Ethical agreements
– Discuss project aims
– Have a contract
Organisational issues post-access 3

8. Issues with data subjects
• How do you ensure that the right people are identified for inclusion?
– Have clear understanding of organisation
– Apply sampling techniques sensibly
• How do you manage participants who do not trust the research/er (e.g.
withdraw consent, are non-compliant?
– Have a contract/agreement
– Have plan B/back-ups
– Get to know them before you start data collection, e.g. present at an internal
conference, be introduced to them by senior member of staff
• What happens if the participants don’t have the experience/knowledge that
you need?
– Change dynamic of questions
– Be flexible
– Snowball
– Avoid this through careful sampling prior to data collection
– Pilot your data collection tools
• What if individual ‘participants’ refuse (to participate)?
– Be aware of organisational hierarchy and revert to this if necessary, e.g. if you
have support from senior management but not their staff, look to them for
support

9. Managing the process
• How can you manage time management in a
project?
– Gantt chart
– Work back from deadlines
– Use wiggle room
– Don’t underestimate how long it takes for certain
tasks including identification of site for data collection
• How do you avoid losing data?
– Duplicate, back-up
– Have a data management plan from the start

10. Findings
• What do you do if the organisation disputes your
findings?
– Refer to protocol
– Remind everyone that this is a PhD and not a consultancy
project
• What if the organisation has a hidden agenda?
– Be aware of this, but remain true to your findings
• How do you deal with controversial findings?
– Diplomacy
– Consultation: know your audience
– Compromise in data sharing – who knows what
– Be clear from the start
– Agree embargo