AGU 653—BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS—LESSON 12 JUDY ROGERS/10-­‐202

Describe the management dilemma—

My management dilemma is self-­‐serving in that I matured under the traditional approach of leadership, specifically that of the military. Post-­‐military, I’m enlightened to find the shared approach to leadership at work and successful. Whereas, my exposure to the individualist focus inherent in leadership research is now a collective activity of my decentralized team. Therefore, the management dilemma is traditional leadership has transformed from a set of individual characteristics to focus on its didactic, shared, and relational character, facing complex social dynamics. This dilemma can be reduced to a research question of: How do team members work together to form and develop leadership in the team context?

Create a Proposition or a Hypothesis based on the management dilemma/research question above. The hypothesis or proposition should be one of the following: § Relational Hypothesis – describes the relationship between two variables with respect to some case; relationships are correlational or explanatory.

The relational hypothesis is: Leadership belongs to a community, such as a team, rather than to an individual.

Define the variables in the study

The independent variable is a team {typically a group of two or more people who interact interdependently toward some common objectives or goals}. The dependent variable is performance.

Choose and defend a research design; the design should complement your hypothesis or proposition. Be sure to identify which of the following you will be using and why, in your proposal.

The Qualitative Research Method will be used for this proposal because it is probably the most flexible of the various experimental techniques, encompassing a variety of accepted methods and structures. Case studies, interviews and observation designs will aid in data analysis, especially since they vary considerably in terms of focus, assumptions about the nature of knowledge and the role of the researcher. However, it’s the qualitative research approach typically concerned with how the phenomena of interest are interpreted, experienced, produced or constituted and based on analytic methods, which take account of complexity, detail and context.

Qualitative research methods are valuable in providing rich descriptions of complex phenomena; tracking unique or unexpected events; illuminating the experience and interpretation of events by actors with widely differing stakes and roles; giving voice to those whose views are rarely heard; conducting initial explorations to develop theories and to generate and even test hypotheses; and moving toward explanations. This is the primary reason for my selection of this method. Qualitative methods can be complementary, used in sequence or in tandem. The best qualitative research is systematic and rigorous, and it seeks to reduce bias and error and to identify evidence that disconfirms initial or emergent hypotheses.

The Interview Method will lead the responder with open-­‐ended questions. Since qualitative researchers are concerned with making inference based on perspective, it is extremely important to get as much data as possible for later analysis.

The Observation Method will incorporate a variety of methods for observing, including taking general notes, using checklists, or time-­‐and-­‐motion logs. Although there is reluctance to use this method due to the requisite time involved, the data generated on activities and behaviors is valuable in focusing on the general setting.

Lastly, since this proposal is focused on a changing paradigm in leadership, a case study will prove invaluable. The in-­‐depth analysis of people, events, and relationships bounded by some unifying factor is key to understanding what motivates team members to take the lead and if it’s situational-­‐driven. Important aspects include not only the team member’s behaviors and views on leadership, but also the perceptions of those who interact with her/him, the context of the environment, outside constituents, comparison to other leaders, and other quantitative “variables.”

Describe the Decision Rule that will confirm, deny or prove your hypothesis or proposition.

My Decision Rule is “If leadership is shared by more than half of the team members and decision-­‐making is based on majority, then the community owns the leadership.” The condition of this decision rule is “leadership is shared by more than half of the team members,” while “community owns the leadership” is the decision part of the rule.