Blue skies and black boxes: The promise (and practice) of grounded theory in human resource management research

Human Resource Management Review

Volumn 27, Issue 2, 2017, Pages 291-305

  Murphy, Chad ^a   Klotz, Anthony C ^a   Kreiner, Glen E ^b  

^a OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Grounded theory; Human resource management; Inductive methods; Qualitative methods

Indexed keywords

EID: 85032068409     PISSN: 10534822     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2016.08.006     Document Type: Article

References (104)

1. Alvesson, M., Karreman, D., Varieties of discourse: On the study of organizations through discourse analysis. Human Relations 53:9 (2000), 1125–1149.
2. Ashcraft, K.L., Appreciating the ‘work'of discourse: Occupational identity and difference as organizing mechanisms in the case of commercial airline pilots. Discourse & Communication 1:1 (2007), 9–36.
3. Bansal, P., Corley, K.G., From the editors: The coming age for qualitative research: Embracing the diversity of qualitative methods. Academy of Management Journal 54:2 (2011), 233–237.
4. Barley, S.R., Careers, identities, and institutions: The legacy of the Chicago School of Sociology. Arthur, M.B., Hall, D.T., Lawrence, B.S., (eds.) Handbook of career theory, 1989, Cambridge University Press, New York, 41–65.
5. Bendassolli, P.F., Theory building in qualitative research: Reconsidering the problem of induction. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(1), 2013.
6. Bisel, R.S., Barge, J.K., Discursive positioning and planned change in organizations. Human Relations 64:2 (2011), 257–283.
7. Bolino, M.C., Kacmar, K.M., Turnley, W.H., Gilstrap, J.B., A multi-level review of impression management motives and behaviors. Journal of Management 34:6 (2008), 1080–1109.
8. Brine, J., Economic growth, social exclusion and the European discourse of equality: Pathologizing ‘the unemployed’. Research Papers in Education 14:1 (1999), 93–105.
9. Butterfield, K.D., Trevino, L.K., Ball, G.A., Punishment from the manager's perspective: A grounded investigation and inductive model. Academy of Management Journal 39:6 (1996), 1479–1512.
10. Cable, D.M., Judge, T.A., Person–organization fit, job choice decisions, and organizational entry. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 67:3 (1996), 294–311.
11. Cahill, S.E., Some rhetorical directions of funeral direction: Historical entanglements and contemporary dilemmas. Work and Occupations 22:2 (1995), 115–136.
12. Chapman, D.S., Uggerslev, K.L., Carroll, S.A., Piasentin, K.A., Jones, D.A., Applicant attraction to organizations and job choice: A meta-analytic review of the correlates of recruiting outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology 90:5 (2005), 928–944.
13. Charmaz, K., Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. 2006, CA Sage Publications Limited, Los Angeles.
14. Charmaz, K., Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. 2nd ed., 2014, Sage Publications Limited, Los Angeles, CA.
15. Chuang, A., Hsu, R.S., Wang, A.-C., Judge, T.A., Does West “fit” with East? In search of a Chinese model of person–environment fit. Academy of Management Journal 58:2 (2015), 480–510.
16. Corley, K.G., A commentary on “what grounded theory is…”: Engaging a phenomenon from the perspective of those living it. Organizational Research Methods 18:4 (2015), 600–605.
17. Corley, K.G., Gioia, D.A., Identity ambiguity and change in the wake of a corporate spin-off. Administrative Science Quarterly 49:2 (2004), 173–208.
18. Creswell, J.W., Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. 2013, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
19. Cunliffe, A.L., Crafting qualitative research: Morgan and Smircich 30 years on. Organizational Research Methods 14:4 (2010), 647–673.
20. da Motta Veiga, S.P., Turban, D.B., Who is searching for whom? Integrating applicant attraction and job search research. Klehe, U.C., Van Hooft, E.A.J., (eds.) The Oxford handbook of job search and job loss, 2016, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (in press).
21. Deadrick, D.L., Gibson, P.A., Revisiting the research–practice gap in HR: A longitudinal analysis. Human Resource Management Review 19:2 (2009), 144–153.
22. Dobers, P., Springett, D., Corporate social responsibility: Discourse, narratives and communication. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 17:2 (2010), 63–69.
23. Edmondson, A.C., McManus, S.E., Methodological fit in management research. Academy of Management Review 32:4 (2007), 1155–1179.
24. Egan, T.M., Grounded theory research and theory building. Advances in Developing Human Resources 4:3 (2002), 277–295.
25. Elsbach, K.D., Relating physical environment to self-categorizations: Identity threat and affirmation in a non-territorial office space. Administrative Science Quarterly 48:4 (2003), 622–654.
26. Evered, R., Louis, M.R., Alternative perpectives in the organizational sciences: “Inquiry from the inside” and “inquiry from the outside”. Academy of Management Review 6:3 (1981), 385–395.
27. Fendt, J., Sachs, W., Grounded theory method in management research: Users’ perspectives. Organizational Research Methods 11:3 (2008), 430–455.
28. Ferris, G.R., Arthur, M.M., Berkson, H.M., Kaplan, D.M., Harrell-Cook, G., Frink, D.D., Toward a social context theory of the human resource management-organization effectiveness relationship. Human Resource Management Review 8:3 (1998), 235–264.
29. Gee, J.P., An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. 2014, Routledge, London.
30. Gioia, D.A., Chittipeddi, K., Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal 12:6 (1991), 433–448.
31. Gioia, D.A., Corley, K.G., Hamilton, A.L., Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods 16:1 (2012), 15–31.
32. Gioia, D.A., Patvardhan, S.D., Hamilton, A.L., Corley, K.G., Organizational identity formation and change. The Academy of Management Annals 7:1 (2013), 1–71.
33. Gioia, D.A., Price, K.N., Hamilton, A.L., Thomas, J.B., Forging an identity: An insider-outsider study of processes involved in the formation of organizational identity. Administrative Science Quarterly 55:1 (2010), 1–46.
34. Glaser, B., Emergence vs forcing: Basics of grounded theory analysis. 1992, Sociology Press.
35. Glaser, B., The grounded theory perspective: Conceptualization contrasted with description. 2001, Sociology Press, Mill Valley, CA.
36. Glaser, B., Strauss, A.L., The discovery of grounded theory. 1967, Aldine de Gruyter, Chicago.
37. Golant, B.D., Sillince, J.A., Harvey, C., Maclean, M., Rhetoric of stability and change: The organizational identity work of institutional leadership. Human Relations 68:4 (2014), 607–631, 10.1177/0018726714532966.
38. Golden-Biddle, K., Locke, K., Composing qualitative research. 2007, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
39. Grant, A.M., Berg, J.M., Cable, D.M., Job titles as identity badges: How self-reflective titles can reduce emotional exhaustion. Academy of Management Journal 57:4 (2014), 1201–1225.
40. Green, S.E., A rhetorical theory of diffusion. Academy of Management Review 29:4 (2004), 653–669.
41. Green, S.E., Li, Y., Nohria, N., Suspended in self-spun webs of significance: A rhetorical model of institutionalization and institutionally embedded agency. Academy of Management Journal 52:1 (2009), 11–36.
42. Hak, T., Bernts, T., Coder training: Theoretical training or practical socialization?. Qualitative Sociology 19:2 (1996), 235–257.
43. Hardy, C., Lawrence, T., Grant, D., Discourse and collaboration: The role of conversations and collective identity. Academy of Management Review 30:1 (2005), 58–77.
44. Harmon, D.J., Green, S.E., Goodnight, G.T., A model of rhetorical legitimation: The structure of communication and cognition underlying institutional maintenance and change. Academy of Management Review 40:1 (2015), 76–95.
45. Harrison, S.H., Rouse, E.D., Let's Dance! Elastic coordination in creative group work: A qualitative study of modern dancers. Academy of Management Journal 57:5 (2014), 1256–1283.
46. Hathaway, I., The gig economy is real if you know where to look. https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-gig-economy-is-real-if-you-know-where-to-look, 2015.
47. Hollensbe, E.C., Khazanchi, S., Masterson, S.S., How do I assess if my supervisor and organization are fair? Identifying the rules underlying entity-based justice perceptions. Academy of Management Journal 51:6 (2008), 1099–1116.
48. Huselid, M.A., Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S., Technical and strategic human resource management effectiveness as determinants of firm performance. Academy of Management Journal 40:1 (1997), 171–188.
49. Johns, G., The essential impact of context on organizational behavior. Academy of Management Review 31:2 (2006), 386–408.
50. Kitay, J., Wright, C., From prophets to profits: The occupational rhetoric of management consultants. Human Relations 60:11 (2007), 1613–1640.
51. Klotz, A.C., Bolino, M.C., Saying goodbye: The nature, causes, and consequences of employee resignation styles. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2016 (in press).
52. Knapp, J.R., Smith, B.R., Kreiner, G.E., Sundaramurthy, C., Barton, S.L., Managing boundaries through identity work: The role of individual and organizational identity tactics. Family Business Review 32 (2013), 415–436.
53. Kreiner, G.E., “Tabula geminus”: A “both/and” approach to coding and theorizing. Elsbach, K.D., Kramer, R.M., (eds.) Handbook of qualitative organizational research: Innovative pathways and methods, 2016, Routledge, New York, 350–361.
54. Kreiner, G.E., Hollensbe, E.C., Sheep, M.L., Where is the “me” among the “we”? Identity work and the search for optimal balance. Academy of Management Journal 49:5 (2006), 1031–1057.
55. Kreiner, G.E., Hollensbe, E.C., Sheep, M.L., Balancing border and bridges: Negotiating the work-home interface via boundary work tactics. Academy of Management Journal 52:4 (2009), 704–730.
56. Kreiner, G.E., Hollensbe, E., Sheep, M., Smith, B., Kataria, N., Elasticity and the dialectic tensions of organizational identity: How can we hold together while we're pulling apart?. Academy of Management Journal 58 (2015), 981–1011.
57. Lee, T.W., Mitchell, T.R., Sablynski, C.J., Qualitative research in organizational and vocational psychology, 1979–1999. Journal of Vocational Behavior 55:2 (1999), 161–187.
58. Lempert, L.B., Asking questions of the data: Memo writing in the grounded theory tradition. Bryant, A., Charmaz, K., (eds.) The Sage handbook of grounded theory, 2007, Sage Publications, London, 245–264.
59. Lincoln, Y.S., Guba, E.G., Naturalistic inquiry. 1985, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA.
60. Locke, K., Rewriting the discovery of grounded theory after 25 years?. Journal of Management Inquiry 5:3 (1996), 239–245.
61. Locke, K., Grounded theory in management research. 2001, SAGE Publications, London.
62. Locke, K., Pragmatic reflections on a conversation about grounded theory in Management and Organization Studies. Organizational Research Methods 18:4 (2015), 612–619.
63. Maertz, C.P., Campion, M.A., Profiles in quitting: Integrating process and content turnover theory. Academy of Management Journal 47:4 (2004), 566–582.
64. Maguire, S., Hardy, C., Discourse and deinstitutionalization: The decline of DDT. Academy of Management Journal 52:1 (2009), 148–178.
65. Mazzola, J.J., Schonfeld, I.S., Spector, P.E., What qualitative research has taught us about occupational stress. Stress and Health 27:2 (2011), 93–110.
66. Meriläinen, S., Tienari, J., Thomas, R., Davies, A., Management consultant talk: A cross-cultural comparison of normalizing discourse and resistance. Organization 11:4 (2004), 539–564.
67. Miller, J.G., Miller, M., The rise of the supertemp. harvard business review 51 (2012), 4–12.
68. Neuendorf, K.A., The content analysis guidebook. 2002, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
69. Nickerson, R.S., Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology 2:2 (1998), 175–220.
70. O'Mahony, S., Bechky, B., Stretchwork: Managing the career progression paradox in external labor markets. Academy of Management Journal 49:5 (2006), 918–941.
71. O'Reilly, K., Paper, D., Marx, S., Demystifying grounded theory for business research. Organizational Research Methods 15:2 (2012), 247–262.
72. Patvardhan, S., Gioia, D., Hamilton, A., Weathering a meta-level identity crisis: Forging a coherent collective identity for an emerging field. Academy of Management Journal 58:2 (2015), 405–435.
73. Peräkylä, A., Analyzing talk and text. Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S., (eds.) Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, 3 ed., 2008, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA.
74. Phillips, N., Lawrence, T.B., Hardy, C., Discourse and institutions. Academy of Management Review 29:4 (2004), 635–652.
75. Pratt, M.G., The good, the bad, and the ambivalent: Managing identification among Amway distributors. Administrative Science Quarterly 45:3 (2000), 456–493.
76. Pratt, M.G., Fitting oval pegs into round holes: Tensions in evaluating and publishing qualitative research in top-tier North American journals. Organizational Research Methods 11:3 (2008), 481–509.
77. Pratt, M.G., Rockmann, K.W., Kaufmann, J.B., Constructing professional identity: The role of work and identity learning cycles in the customization of identity among medical residents. Academy of Management Journal 49:2 (2006), 235–262.
78. Roth, P.L., Van Iddekinge, C.H., Huffcutt, A.I., Eidson, C.E., Bobko, P., Corrections for range restriction in structured interview ethnic group differences: The values may be larger than researchers thought. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 2002, 369.
79. Rothausen, T.J., Henderson, K.E., Arnold, J.K., Malshe, A., Should I stay or should I go?. 2016, Identity and well-being in sensemaking about retention and turnover, Journal of Management (in press).
80. Schneider, B., Wheeler, J.K., Cox, J.F., A passion for service: Using content analysis to explicate service climate themes. Journal of Applied Psychology 77:5 (1992), 705–716.
81. Shah, S.K., Corley, K.G., Building better theory by bridging the quantitative–qualitative divide*. Journal of Management Studies 43:8 (2006), 1821–1835.
82. Sheep, M., Fairhurst, G.T., Khazanchi, S., Knots in the discourse of innovation: Investigating multiple tensions in a reacquired spin-off. 2016, Organization Studies (in press).
83. Short, J.C., Palmer, T.B., The application of DICTION to content analysis research in strategic management. Organizational Research Methods 11:4 (2007), 727–752.
84. Smith, B.R., Knapp, J., Barr, T.F., Stevens, C.E., Cannatelli, B.L., Social enterprises and the timing of conception: Organizational identity tension, management, and marketing. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing 22:2 (2010), 108–134.
85. Sousa, C.A.A., Hendriks, P.H.J., The diving bell and the butterfly: The need for grounded theory in developing a knowledge-based view of organizations. Organizational Research Methods 9:3 (2006), 315–338.
86. Spradley, J.P., The ethnographic interview. 1979, Holt, Rinehart, Winston, New York.
87. Stanko, T.L., Beckman, C.M., Watching you watching me: Boundary control and capturing attention in the context of ubiquitous technology use. Academy of Management Journal 58:3 (2015), 712–738.
88. Strauss, A.L., Corbin, J., Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. 1990, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
89. Strauss, A.L., Corbin, J., Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. 2007, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
90. Suddaby, R., From the editors: What grounded theory is not. Academy of Management Journal 49:4 (2006), 633–642.
91. Suddaby, R., Greenwood, R., Rhetorical strategies of legitimacy. Administrative Science Quarterly 50:1 (2005), 35–67.
92. Sveningsson, S., Alvesson, M., Managing managerial identities: Organizational fragmentation, discourse and identity struggle. Human Relations 56:10 (2003), 1163–1193.
93. Symon, G., Cassell, C., Assessing qualitative research. Symon, G., Cassell, C., (eds.) Organizational qualitative research: Core methods and current challenges, 2012, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 204–223.
94. Thomas, W.I., Znaniecki, F., The Polish peasant in Europe and America: Monograph of an immigrant group. 1918, The Gorham Press, Boston, MA.
95. Trefalt, Š., Between you and me: Setting work-nonwork boundaries in the context of workplace relationships. Academy of Management Journal 56:6 (2013), 1802–1829.
96. Treviño, L.K., den Nieuwenboer, N.A., Kreiner, G.E., Bishop, D.G., Legitimating the legitimate: A grounded theory study of legitimacy work among Ethics and Compliance Officers. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 123:2 (2014), 186–205.
97. Van Maanen, J., The fact of fiction in organizational ethnography. Administrative Science Quarterly 24:4 (1979), 539–550.
98. Van Maanen, J., Sørensen, J.B., Mitchell, T.R., The interplay between theory and method. Academy of Management Review 32:4 (2007), 1145–1154.
99. Vough, H., Cardador, T., Bednar, J., Dane, E., Pratt, M., What clients don't get about my profession: A model of perceived role-based image discrepancies. Academy of Management Journal 56:4 (2012), 1050–1080.
100. Walsh, I., Holton, J.A., Bailyn, L., Fernandez, W., Levina, N., Glaser, B., What grounded theory is … A critically reflective conversation among scholars. Organizational Research Methods 18:4 (2015), 581–599.
101. Weber, R.P., Basic content analysis. 1990, Sage, Newbury Park, CA.
102. Weick, K.E., The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: The Mann Gulch disaster. Administrative Science Quarterly 38:4 (1993), 628–652.
103. Wilhelmy, A., Kleinmann, M., König, C.J., Melchers, K.G., Truxillo, D.M., How and why do interviewers try to make impressions on applicants? A qualitative study. Journal of Applied Psychology 101:3 (2016), 313–332.
104. Zickar, M.J., Carter, N.T., Reconnecting with the spirit of workplace ethnography: A historical review. Organizational Research Methods 13:2 (2010), 304–319.