Field Guide to Intercultural Research: (Elgar Field Guides)

This informative Field Guide to Intercultural Research is specifically designed to be used in the field, guiding the reader away from pitfalls and towards best practice. It shares valuable fieldwork challenges and experiences, as well as insights into key methodological debates and practical recommendations relevant to both new and seasoned researchers. Offering an international outlook and featuring insights from across four continents, this invaluable guide introduces new methods and approaches to data analysis, tackling various research phases, including perspectives from quantitative researchers. It focuses on the role of culture and the intercultural challenges that fieldworkers encounter, enticing readers into further conversations concerning the role of fieldwork in producing new knowledge. Expert contributors illustrate the benefits of field research in intercultural research not only to academic literature, but also to organisational policies and the societies within which we work and live. Including insights from the fields of ethnography and social anthropology, this cutting edge guide is crucial reading for all students and researchers of business and management studies as well as organisational development hoping to begin their foray into fieldwork, as well as experienced scholars looking for new approaches to field research. It will also benefit management professionals and consultants in need of an expanded knowledge-base for coFnducting action research or other interventions in organisations.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Preface: some musings on fieldwork in a business context xxiv Malcolm Chapman 1 Introduction: following the researchers into the field 1 David S. A. Guttormsen, Jakob Lauring and Malcolm Chapman PART I PRACTICAL THEMES 2 Using grounded theory in an African business context 14 W. Travis Selmier II and Aloysius Newenham-Kahindi 3 Intercultural survey research: challenges and suggested solutions 29 Anne-Wil Harzing, B. Sebastian Reiche and Markus Pudelko 4 Interviewing global elites 41 William S. Harvey 5 Survey-based research in remote Indigenous communities: considerations for methods 54 Indigo Holcombe-James and Ellie Rennie 6 Methodological reflections on researching ethnic business in Southern Europe: experiences from the field 68 Gunhild Odden 7 Overcoming challenges in intercultural interviewing: the role of intercultural training for early-career researchers 81 Ritam Garg and Petra Poljsak-Rosinski 8 Coding intercultural fieldwork data: a hands-on approach 93 Mai Skjøtt Linneberg and Steffen Korsgaard 9 Some practical advice on collecting qualitative data: outline of a fieldwork process 106 Jakob Lauring and Charlotte Jonasson 10 Unlocking the affordances of digital technology in qualitative research 119 Marta Jackowska PART II THEORETICAL THEMES 11 Reflections on an intercultural (research) life 135 Bruce W. Stening 12 Doing field work in culturally hybrid locations 147 Mette Zølner 13 Researching religion in organizations: key issues and strategies 157 Christopher Richardson 14 Operationalizing ‘culture’ when conducting cross-cultural fieldwork: the case of Germany and South Africa 166 Badri Zolfaghari 15 Academic disciplines have cultures, too: intercultural challenges for interdisciplinary researchers in the field 178 David S. A. Guttormsen, Petra Poljsak-Rosinski, Htwe Htwe Thein, Trifon Pavkov, Katarina Brkovic and Michael Gillan 16 Dilemmas with multiple social identities in the field of international development 193 Masumi Owa 17 Strategies to survive on foreign turf: experience sharing and reflections from two apparent aliens in the field 204 Annelise Ly and Ingrid Onarheim Spjeldnæs 18 ‘Inside-out’: race, role and relations in intercultural fieldwork 216 Charlotte Jonasson, Jakob Lauring and David S. A. Guttormsen 19 Intercultural challenges of ‘rapport’ in French–German organizational field research – insights from a binational research tandem 229 Christoph Barmeyer and Eric Davoine PART III REGIONAL THEMES 20 Cultural considerations and qualitative research within an African context 243 Nomusa Benita Mazonde 21 Navigating the realities of intercultural research in Sub-Saharan Africa: insights from Nigeria 255 Adebukola E. Oyewunmi, Stephen I. Ukenna and Ebes Esho 22 The challenges of conducting field studies in China 269 Anna Shostya, Moshe Banai and Joseph C. Morreale 23 Challenges and promoters during international fieldwork in Lebanon 287 Hana Abdo, Amélie Artis and Anne Bartel-Radic 24 Intersectional challenges of conducting qualitative research in the Middle East 295 Maranda Ridgway and Fiona Robson 25 Crossing borders, traversing cultures and mediating identities: a reflection on fieldwork conducted in the Arab Gulf 310 Sarina Theys 26 Doing qualitative field research in Vietnam 321 Thi My Hanh Huynh and Anne Bartel-Radic 27 Investigating the worldview of professionals: reflections on the challenges of researching in the Thai culture 329 Astrid Kainzbauer and Brian Hunt Afterword 340 Fiona Moore Index

About the Author :
Edited by David S. A. Guttormsen, Associate Professor in Organisation and Management, Department of Business, Strategy and Political Sciences, USN School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, Norway, Jakob Lauring, Professor in International Management, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark and Malcolm Chapman, (retired) formerly Senior Lecturer, Centre for International Business, University of Leeds, UK

Review :
‘A useful and comprehensive guide for academic researchers, particularly into international business practice and its relationship to culture, covering principles and practice of effective fieldwork.’ ‘The Field Guide to Intercultural Research is a fantastic compilation of insights and experiences of intercultural scholars who have ‘walked the talk’ when it comes to conducting field work in a global context. Filled with many practical suggestions about the methodological choices and tradeoffs incurred as well as the authors’ reflections about their own lived experiences as intercultural researchers, this book is a valuable resource for anyone, from the novice to the expert, who aims to embark on intercultural field research. Reading the stories of those who contributed to this book is both motivational and instructive, so be sure to pack this book in your bag for your intercultural research journey!’ ‘I can highly recommend the Field Guide to Intercultural Research to PhD students and academics alike. The edited book is an excellent collection of highly experienced field researchers from around the world who share their experiences of dealing with cultural challenges in the field. The Field Guide ties discussions about fieldwork, methodological debates and various theoretical perspectives together with the practical aspects of doing research in the field. Particularly valuable are the author's recommendations, which are helpful for ensuring success with field based projects, and to highlight the different types of complexity involved when conducting fieldwork in a range of different countries.’ ‘Intercultural research is arguably the most important frontier in business and management research. As protectionism and global decoupling strengthen, so does the need to test and explore the validity of ideas across contexts. This book offers a state-of-the-art toolbox to address the important issues without stumbling into common traps. An important step onwards from the dominance of WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich & democratic) theory builders.’ ‘This comprehensive edited volume brings together first-hand experiences of fieldwork undertaken by an international community of scholars. Grounded in the tradition of anthropology, the authors show the beauty - as well as the complexity – of translating cultural meanings across contexts and audiences. The book provides a captive read to scholars, who undertake intercultural research themselves or who serve as supervisors of such research. I can wholeheartedly recommend this field guide.’ ’The Field Guide to Intercultural Research contains a plethora of practical, insightful, and wise advice gleaned from scholars who have spent their careers engaged in intercultural research projects. The book is an important contribution to the field and will greatly benefit doctoral students, fledgling scholars, and experienced intercultural scholars alike.