Data-gathering Methods

4.3.3.1 Introduction to Data-gathering

In this section, the researcher describes the data-gathering approach that was followed in the study. According to Glaser (2013), a variety of data-gathering techniques are compatible with grounded theory methodology. Qualitative data may include printed and visual material. Printed material being books, while diagrams and various images and visual material may be recorded, and interviews, videos and focus groups (Collis & Hussey, 2014; Glaser, 2013). In this study, the data-gathering and analysis occurred simultaneously (Charmaz, 2006; Glaser, 2013). This allowed the researcher to reflect and explore the data initially collected through open coding to establish cautious connections between categories, and to go back to collect more relevant data from the participants (Glaser, 2013, p. 73). With this approach of continuous comparison and reflection, the researcher was able to explore all avenues available in terms of category development until it became “dense, detailed and differentiated” (Glaser, 2013, p. 73). Another consequence of this approach was that;

(1) the interview Participant 1 was interviewed twice, resulting in eight interviews being conducted, and (2) the case study added another voice to the data. The data-gathering methods employed in the study will now be described in 4.3.3.2 and 4.3.3.3.

4.3.3.2 Case study

In qualitative research, a case study is a methodology used in the interpretivism paradigm. A variety of methods is utilised to acquire knowledge-rich information on a single phenomenon in its natural context (Collis & Hussey, 2014). The use of a case study of the institution is to provide the context of the organisation within which the female managers reside. In the perspective of this study, the understanding of context is essential as it provides the dynamics of the organisation on which the study is based to explore the slow progress of women into senior and top management. A case study comprises all incorporating methodology as it;

“copes with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points, and as one result; relies on multiple sources of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion, and as another result; benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis.”

(Yin, 1994, p. 13) Yin (1994, p. 13) defines a case study as an “empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.” The types of case studies employed may vary depending on the phenomenon being studied. In this study the opportunist case study was employed as the researcher had access to the phenomenon being investigated since she was an employee of the organisation and to some extent was already involved in the phenomenon of study. The researcher presented this solicited case study data from the organisation in Chapter 3.

4.3.3.3 Exploratory Interviews

With the interpretivist paradigm, interviews are used to explore or generate understanding from the participants, to understand what their realities are. (Collis &

Hussey, 2014). Exploratory interviews were conducted with the selected sample of female senior managers. The aim of this was to explore the perceptions of the participants in relation to the research problem. The research participants were invited via email to participate in the study. The original email with the accompanying approval by the COO was attached to the invitation email attached in Appendix A. The invitation introduced the researcher as well as the research study to the participants. The participants were also advised that the research study was approved by the organisation and what their participation would entail, and how much time it would approximately take for them as participants. They were also assured that their identity would be confidential, and they were advised of the ethical stance of the university. A follow-up was done telephonically with those participants who were hesitant to participate due to confidentiality and anonymity concerns. Thereafter, the interviews

were set up and accepted on Microsoft outlook. The interviews were conducted at the convenience of the interviewees in the environment preferred by them. In many instances it was in their offices or in a closed boardroom. The researcher was known to the participants and had interacted with them on various occasions due to her role in the organisation. This assisted the researcher to make the interviewees feel at ease and be open and direct in their responses. The participants had no objection to being recorded.

A voice recorder was used during the exploratory interview sessions. The data was stored on the personal hard drive of the researcher and on her iCloud account. The recordings were transcribed in MS Word by the researcher after each interview. All information gathered from the first session that required validation and further interrogation was asked in the subsequent follow-up interview. After each interview the researcher listened to the recording and made notes of the themes that emerged (refer exploratory interview data document). In some instances the follow-up questions were ask in the initial interview as a result of the simultaneous data collection and analysis as well as the open coding data analysis method. One follow-up interview was conducted to confirm themes that emerged from the initial interview. The availability of the interviewees limited the number of follow-up interviews. However, due to the long intervals between the interviews, the researcher was able to include the follow-up questions with four other participants. The method employed allowed the researcher to establish a deeper relationship with the participants and as well as to review and test the common patterns that emerged during the initial data-gathering process in the next set of data that was collected.

Open-ended interview questions were asked to obtain the participants’ views on the work environment. The interview schedule is attached in Appendix B. The researcher asked exploratory questions during the interview session; made use of observation to gather data; took down notes during the session, and used a voice recorder to capture verbatim the participants’ answers to the questions. The researcher obtained informed consent from the interview participants prior to the commencement of the interviews.

After each interview, the researcher analysed the data using open coding to determine emerging categories (Glaser, 2013). Conscious of her own reality, pre-existing knowledge and being focused on not contaminating the study, the researcher started the interviews with five open-ended, generic questions about the participant’s personal and work experience during the interview (Charmaz, 2006; Dunne, 2011). Thereafter, the researcher asked two questions that focused specifically on the challenges or barriers that women might encounter in the workplace. Due to the constant comparison and analysis of the data collected, three follow-up questions were posed to the participants. The initial and follow-up questions are presented here.

The following questions were asked:

 Tell us a little about yourself – a brief history.

 What journey led you to the organisation?

 What has been your journey within the organisation?

 What are the three events that helped you shape your career?

 What was the toughest decision you had to make, and how did it impact your career?

 What do you think are the barriers that female leaders may encounter?

 What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women to come?

The follow-up questions that were asked were:

 How important has the support from your family and your line manager been in your progress in your career?

 What impact has your personal attitude had on your career progress?

 How has your cultural background impacted on your interaction with your team as well as with your engagement with line management?

These questions were used as guides, and were not necessarily asked in the order as presented above. They informed the conversation between the researcher and participants. The first question that required them to provide a brief history of themselves acted as an icebreaker, and made the participants feel comfortable to

discuss their careers. The open-ended questions enabled the researcher to explore the aim and the research problem of the study from the perspective of the participants.