Chapter 4: Research Methodology
4.6.7 Case Study
Yin (2009) defines a case study strategy as, ‘…an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident’. A case can be a single person, subject, group or organisation (Runeson and Höst, 2009), and case study research may incorporate the examination of a single or multiple cases that can be classified as ‘descriptive’, ‘explanatory’ or ‘exploratory’ in nature. A descriptive case study is utilised to refer to a phenomenon or processes, whereas an explanatory case study is usually theory driven and may be utilised to develop a hypothesis in a large research project (Fellows and Liu, 2015). An exploratory case study is typically used to test the hypothesis to come up with logical
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conclusions (Yin, 2009). In addition to the philosophical stance, the research questions in a study influences the selection of a research approach. Yin (2003) argues that ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions are favoured in explanatory studies, and ‘what’ questions are suitable for exploratory types of research. Therefore, case studies can provide more insight for this particular study; firstly, by exploring, and secondly, by explaining the phenomenon under investigation. Bello (2003) proposes that there are several motivations to conduct a case study, and these include:
1. The investigation of an inquiry, program, population, issue or concern in order to decide on suitable research questions to encourage future research.
2. The clarification of linkages between causes and effects.
3. The description of a real-life context in which an intervention has occurred. 4. The description of the intervention itself.
5. The investigation of those circumstances in which the intervention being assessed has no reasonable arrangement of results.
Moreover, Bello (2003) believes that case studies have turned into a primary source of valuable information to researchers. There are a diversity of benefits that can be gained from implementing a case study approach, particularly in contrast with other methodologies (Saunders, 2011). One such benefit is that the information delivered is frequently more concrete and contextual, specifically due to the indepth analysis it proposes of the case under examination (Saunders, 2011). As this study aims to find the current BIM competencies in UK construction clients and to investigate their BIM experiences, a case study has been selected as one of research strategies. The following characteristics are noted as key influences in the selection of a case study research strategy for this study:
1. Facilitates an in-depth study to identify the links between client roles and BIM maturity competencies that mainly depend on the critical review of the literature and interviews;
2. Allows for multiple sources of evidence to be used which helps to increase the validity of the collected data; for example, interview and documents have been used in order to check the final assumption such as the list of the BIM competencies and their relationship with BIM clients’ roles.
3. Does not control/manipulate the environment under examination (as in the case of experiments) but rather aims to allow participants to express their understanding regarding BIM, maturity, and benefits;
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4. Does not interfere with the attitudes, perceptions or procedures of the environment (as in the case of action research) which will provide confident environment to express their views.
5. Analyses a contemporary event which will help the researcher to concluded new themes and results.
6. The research questions posed favour case studies due to mainly relating to understanding how BIM has been implemented in the client organisation in terms of competencies and why the client organisation decided to implement BIM.
Having chosen a case study as the research strategy, the next section explains the compromise made between the use of single and multiple case studies.
4.6.7.1 Case Study Selection Criteria
As outlined by (Yin, 2009), case studies can be mostly classified as multiple or single, and then, depending on the number of units of analysis, embedded (more than one unit of analysis) or holistic (one unit of analysis). Thus, as shown in Figure 4.9 (U. Kulatunga, 2008a), four types of case study designs exist which include:
1. Single holistic case study. 2. Multiple holistic case studies. 3. Single embedded case study. 4. Multiple embedded case studies.
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Figure 4.9: Types of case studies based on the number and units (U. Kulatunga, 2008a) On the one hand, a single case is frequently utilised to present a critical, extreme or unique case. On the other hand, a single case might be chosen because it is typical or provides a chance to observe and analyse a phenomenon that few have considered. A case study strategy can also incorporate multiple cases. The rationale for using multiple cases could include the need for replication across cases. Cases will be selected on the basis that similar outcomes are predicted from each (Saunders, 2011). Yin (2009) states that choosing between a single and multiple case studies does not necessarily relate to the production of more evidence. Although a multiple case study is likely to produce more evidence, the purpose of each approach is different. While this study aims to find the BIM competencies for different types of clients, a multiple cases study can be the best approach in allowing the researcher to identify and compare BIM competencies for different types of clients.
According to AlSehaimi et al. (2012), there is no agreement over a definitive number of cases needed for an investigation when engaging in a multiple case study approach. According to Yin (2013), the selection of cases should be directed by the replication of logic. Each case should be considered as an experiment in itself, and following cases will either check or refute previous findings. A careful but rigorous selection of cases is crucial to ensure that the researcher obtains sufficient data to produce appropriate conclusions for the study. The number of case studies investigated by the researcher will depend on the similarity between the results, although the researcher needs at least two studies for each type of client in order
Single,
holistic
case study
Multiple,
holistic
case
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Single,
embedded
case study
Multiple,
embedded
case study
Single unit of analysis Multiple units of analysis Single- case design analysis Multiple - case designs109 | P a g e
to produce solid conclusions. For this study, the selection of cases is based on the aim and objectives of the research and the research context. It is simplified as the following:
a) The type of organisation is a client organisation (public, private, and mix client). b) The organisation must currently be implementing BIM within the business process.
c) Different levels of organisational experience in BIM, which allow the researcher to compare BIM benefits against different levels of BIM experience.
d) The organisation must also be willing to cooperate and provide access to the researcher to acquire data.
All selected organisations’ backgrounds and participants’ information will be explained in detail within the findings and analysis chapter. Accordingly, this section has discussed the rationale behind the selection of multiple case studies for the study. The next section will look into the time horizon.