Research Methods Summary 32 - Methodological Overview 30

1. Linking Document 3

1.3. Methodological Overview 30

1.3.5. Research Methods Summary 32

The research methods employed in the study incorporate the overall research objective, the philosophical position, and the research strategy in particular.

Specifically, the research methods consist of an empirical review of literature review, followed by an exploratory, multiple case study investigation that was then refined by a single, in-‐depth case study project.

Project 1 is an empirical literature review conducted using a systematic literature review methodology. Section 1.3.1 discusses the existence of fragmented and, at times, conflict findings within the performance measurement and management literature. To offset the challenge this poses to a literature review, a systematic literature review was conducted. This evidence-‐based approach to literature examination is intended to ensure the researcher enhances his knowledge base while critically informing the research being conducted (Tranfield et al., 2003).

Within the literature areas of strategy, performance measurement and management and turbulence, the systematic literature review found few studies that resided at the immediate intersection. More commonly, the literature identified contained two of the three themes (e.g. strategy and performance measurement, strategy and turbulence) but not all three; as such, additional papers and books were suggested by the panel guiding the systematic review. Complete details on the methodology, the data sources, selection criteria and findings can be found in Section 2.7.2, Literature Review Methodology.

Edward A. Barrows, Jr. – Cranfield University – School of Management – DBA Thesis How Firms in Turbulent Environments Measure Strategic Performance

Project 2, which is the first field project, consists seven exploratory cases from the security software industry. Although case-‐study research does not sample in the traditional sense, the intent of the research was to examine a sufficient number of firms to reach theoretical saturation (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Executives—namely chief financial officers—were interviewed in order to gain an understanding of how their firm’s performance measurement and management processes operated. Particular attention was paid to the strategic portion of these processes. From each set of interviews, and added archival data, an analytical case was developed for each firm. Within-‐case and cross-‐case analysis was accomplished via the development of a series of data displays. The findings in Section 3 present the detailed results. Case study and analysis were used in Project 2 because of the exploratory nature of the research. In instances where a close connection between the researcher and the empirical context needs to be maintained, case studies provide an appropriate method of analysis (Yin, 2003). Further, Huberman and Miles cite Eisenhardt’s perspective that, “case study research is a strategy that focuses on understanding the dynamic present within a single setting.” (Huberman and Miles, 2002, p, 5).

Project 3 was a separate and distinct study from Project 2; however, it used the analytical framework identified at the completion of the earlier project as the starting point for further research in a different industry setting. Project 3 was carried out in the U.S. health care industry—a different but similarly turbulent environment. The U.S. health care industry with its variety of changes ranging from new legislation, new competitor entry, and increasing customer demand coupled with supplier pressures provided an excellent means to explore the effects of

turbulence. The research site was a single health care delivery organization with five separate operating entities. A single site was chosen as a means to evaluate the framework in depth with a health care system that had only recently been

established and was early in a transformation/integration process being led by a new chief executive. All 17 members of the top management team provided interview data, and the researcher had access to meetings of the top management team on a regular basis, as well as full access to the next level of leadership, including the chief executives of each of the five subordinate operating units. This provided a unique, internal perspective on the forces driving change as well as the management team’s corresponding behavior. Unlike in Project 2, the purpose of which was to explore multiple firms across an industry, the intent of Project 3 was to refine the output of Project 2 in another setting, one that had only recently become turbulent. However,

Edward A. Barrows, Jr. – Cranfield University – School of Management – DBA Thesis How Firms in Turbulent Environments Measure Strategic Performance

detailed cases were not created; interview and archival data were collected in order to examine the applicability of each variable within the model in the new

environment. The intent was to aid in determining which elements of the model were necessary conditions across multiple settings (Dul and Hak, 2008).

The progression and selection of studies—from literature review to two projects within turbulent settings—was chosen to provide the researcher with an in-‐depth understanding of how strategic performance measurement systems function in different turbulent settings—the overall purpose of the research. This choice of studying two turbulent settings was made instead of contrasting studies from a non-‐ turbulent setting with a turbulent one because the results of the literature review indicated that there were no empirical studies available that enabled researchers to understand how strategic performance measurement systems function within turbulent environments (Neely, 2005). This suggested that an extensive exploration of the phenomenon within various turbulent settings would be of high value.

In document How Firms in Turbulent Environments Measure Strategic Performance (Page 32-34)