Overview of the five phases of the research process

The research was conducted in several phases and literature reviews, field interviews and qualitative analyses were conducted in parallel through several iterations. The processes and practices suggested in the literature on GT were analyzed and compared to find the right process for this research. The GT processes proposed by authors like Laperrière (1997) and Desgagné (2005) inspired the process used in this research. Laperrière (1997) for instance proposed the following four steps: (1) definition of the research topic, (2) selecting the site, group or situation to study, (3) elaborating the conceptual categories, and (4) the coding process and comparative analysis. On the other hand, the GT-based typological process suggested by Desgagné (2005) was composed of two major phases: (1) the restitutive phase, and (2) the analytical phase. The outcome of the typological analysis in the second phase is a function of the quality of interaction between the researcher and the respondent that enables a transparent and complete narration (emphasized in the first phase). Although the processes proposed by Laperrière (1997) and Desgagné (2005) have their own specificities, both process draw upon the same GT approach and principles. See the appendix for a comparison of the processes adopted by the authors.

The qualitative content analysis technique was used in the final analysis phase to enhance the comparative analysis and the research results in general. Drawing upon the GT processes found in literature, a process composed of five steps (phases) was adopted to conduct the research.

These five phases follow the initial phase (presented earlier in this chapter) that consists of defining the preliminary research questions and the key concepts and variables (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Eisenhardt, 1989; Corbin and Strauss, 1990; Laperrière, 1997; Desgagné, 2005)¹³. The table below describes each of the phases of the process adopted:

Table 2-3 The five research phases used in this research

Phase Key activities Outcome

1. First exploration phase: first data collection iterations and first

intermediary model

- Interviews with senior IT managers in Canada and

- 46 senior managers interviewed and 13 cases of strategic IT initiatives covered.

- Observation of IT trends and innovation logics.

- Three major literature streams explored.

- First intermediary research model where the 3 dimensions of governance were introduced: (1) intra-org., (2) inter-org.,

- Interviews with senior IT managers in France (CIGREF).

- Literature review in parallel.

- 6 new senior managers interviewed and 5 new cases integrated in the research.

- Theoretical sampling completed with 18 cases of strategic IT initiatives.

- Tentative coding grids (Nvivo).

3. First analysis phase:

- Using the Nvivo software.

- Extraction of secondary themes from the model.

- 18 cases analyzed and used to refine the research model.

- Second intermediary research model.

- Conceptual saturation - More focused literature review.

4. Second analysis

- Sample of 18 cases split in 3 families using an innovation-driven typology

- 3 prototypes per family of IT initiatives.

5. Third analysis

- Research results organized in 3 parts (the 3 governance axes)

- Final research model.

- Theoretical implications clarified.

13 While the pure sociological approach in GT only allows for literature review and epistemological positioning once the data is collected from the field (Desgagné, 2005), a literary approach was introduced early in this research to make theoretical and scientific sense. In consequence, the literature review started at the beginning of this research and was conducted in parallel to the field exploration and qualitative analysis.

In the next pages the two exploration phases and the three analysis phases are introduced.

Phase 1: Field exploration and the first intermediary model

This phase consisted of selecting the right group to study, conducting field interviews and building the core concepts of the research grounded in the realities observed in the field. It is the longest phase of the research conducted with over 45 respondents in Canada and India. The purpose was to obtain a minimum number of relevant interviews (complete, strategic and holistic) to explore the major concepts of the research model through a number of coding iterations where the cases are compared and the major pertinent categories identified. The phase consisted of a theoretical sampling process conducted in parallel with the analysis and comparison of the cases using notes as well as the Nvivo software through which tentative classification structures (grids) are generated.

This highly exploratory phase was critical because it helped prepare for the final sampling iteration that was more focused and conducted through a final research mission in France. The phase also consisted of a more in depth literature review leading to a convergence between the practices explored in the field and the theory found in the literature. This convergence led to the creation of the first intermediary model in which the themes of the central category (the governance system) were structured in three dimensions through open and axial coding: (1) intra-organizational, (2) inter-organizational, and (3) project.

Phase 2: Final sampling iteration and conceptual saturation

The first intermediary model built in the previous phase helped prepare for a final research mission that was conducted in partnership with the CIGREF (Club Informatique des Grandes Entreprises Françaises) in France in which six highly senior respondents were interviewed and five new cases analyzed and compared to the previous cases. This phase is the final theoretical sampling iteration that led to conceptual saturation, one of the major GT conditions.

Phase 3: First analysis phase: the full qualitative analysis of the 18-case sample

Once the research interviews with the CIGREF were completed, the strategic IT initiatives for which a sufficient amount of information was collected through the interviews were identified.

From over 25 cases covered during the interviews, 18 cases contained enough data for a comparative qualitative analysis in which strategy, governance, and innovation topics were covered. Moreover, questions about the strategic motivations behind the IT initiatives and the satisfaction of the respondents were used to make sure the selected cases were strategic and successful to a certain extent.

This first analysis phase was conducted before creating the typology (separating the sample in families) and consisted of coding in detail the interviews of the 18 strategic IT initiatives (using the qualitative analysis software Nvivo) and refining the research model. Because of the way this phase was instrumental in the evolution of the research model, it is presented in more detail in a separate chapter (Chapter 3). The second intermediary model was obtained at the end of this phase.

Phase 4: Second analysis phase: the typology and prototypes

At this stage, an innovation-based typology was created by adapting existing typologies found in the literature and the sample was split into three families of strategic IT initiatives: (1) efficiency-oriented, (2) mixed, and (3) growth-oriented. Following the recommendations of Desgagné (2005), a few prototypes were selected for each type of strategic IT initiatives (3 per type) for practical reasons including the comprehensive description of each type and the subsequent analysis and presentation.

Phase 5: Third analysis phase: governance links to innovation and qualitative content analysis In this phase, the innovation-based typology built in the previous phase was used to explore a governance-based typology. In other words, the phase consists of discovering the governance links to the three types of innovation in the context of strategic IT initiatives. This phase represents the major results of the research in that the way the three governance axes vary

according to the type of innovation in strategic IT initiatives is explored and described with the various qualitative nuances. The qualitative content analysis technique is used in this phase to structure the results and to compare the three governance axes along the families of IT initiatives.

The structure created by the use of frequencies made it possible to analyze and interpret the very large amount of data. At the end of this phase, the final research model (reflecting the differences between the types of innovation) is obtained. Furthermore, the research results are not presented according to the typology. Instead, the results are structured along the major dimensions of the research model, the three axes of governance.