60 research outputs found
Using Arts-based Research Methods: Creative Approaches for Researching Business, Organisation and Humanities
No full textThis edited collection will showcase a selection of arts-based research methods used in the empirical study of business, management and the humanities. Each chapter is written by an expert in a single arts-based research method including poetry, drawing, photography, film, dance and quilting. For those wanting to undertake a research project utilising an alternative palette of methods this book is a unique resource. Detailed consideration is given to research design, data collection, through to analysis and publication. Our aim is to give confidence to undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD students, early career researchers and those looking for a different approach to their research designs by providing both an overview of the methods’ legacy and development, highlighting particularly influential studies but also a hands-on, practical ‘how to guide’ that offers insightful hints, tips, diagrams, photographs and think points including advice on how to overcome some of the potential challenges on each specialist arts-based method
Working from home: How to create a stylish yet motivating study room or home office
No full textCreating a stylish, practical home office is more appealing than ever, with more and more people opting for flexible working or the freelance life.As such, functional work spaces are fast becoming one of the most important features of a home. But it can be hard to stay motivated when you find yourself surrounded by home comforts. Dr Harriet Shortt, a workplace environment specialist, reveals how to create the perfect stylish-yet-motivating home office space
Functional spaces for team working
No full textWith an increased focus on flexible working practices, employers need to be conscious of creating an environment which enhances learning, creativity and knowledge transfer so when teams do come together, they are in the best environment to achieve maximum results. In the latest of our articles with academic leaders, we talk to Dr Harriet Shortt, Associate Professor and Dr Selen Kars, Senior Lecturer from Bristol Business School, at the University of the West of England, about how an organisation structures it’s work, breakout and functional spaces and how these can positively impact knowledge transfer and idea generation
Let art do the work
No full textIn today’s hectic working world, it can often feel like we’re spending more time in the office than we are in our own homes. It’s therefore becoming increasingly important for employers to do what they can to reduce stress, instil a sense of calm and create an overall better atmosphere, and art is one easy way to inject some life and energy into an otherwise purely functional space.In our recently commissioned study we discovered over a third (37%) of Londoners think that art should be available in the workspace in a bid to reduce stress and improve productivity – with artwork deemed more desirable than the latest office crazes including sleep pods (with just 21% of the vote), ping pong tables (16%) and beanbags (13%).When asked what genre of art London workers would like to see in their office spaces, landscapes topped the poll with the medium of paint proving popular alongside photography. And we think it's abstract pieces by the likes of Elaine Jones and Andrew Hood that could be amongst some of the most successful in inspiring a little desk-based escapism!Despite the desire for change we found that 41% of office workers in London say there is no artwork in their workplace at all, with 59% unable to see any art from their desk.We asked Dr Harriet Shortt, an expert on the workplace environment, to give us her thoughts on the matter
How do I generate visual data? A guide for business and management research
No full textThis insightful book examines seven core visual techniques as methods of primary data generation for research projects. It provides guidance and support to students conducting projects in the field of business and management, emphasizing the involvement of participants in the process.
Harriet Shortt and Samantha Parsley trace the social science heritage of visual methods and analyze fresh perspectives on their students’ case studies. They explore key epistemologies, delving into ethical considerations and the kinds of research questions visual methods are well suited to answering. The book outlines technical concerns and features photographs from the authors’ own research projects to bring theories to life. It also includes an up-to-date literature review of published studies using visual methods, concluding with a future-orientated discussion on benefits and challenges of using these approaches
Liminality, space and the importance of ‘transitory dwelling places’ at work
No full text© The Author(s) 2015. This article draws attention to the spaces in-between and employees’ lived experiences of liminal spaces at work. It illustrates how and why liminal spaces are used and made meaningful by workers, in contrast to the dominant spaces that surround them. Consequently, the article extends the concept of liminality and argues that when liminal spaces are constructed, by workers, as vital and meaningful to their everyday lives they cease to be liminal spaces and instead become ‘transitory dwelling places’. In order to examine this shift from ambiguous space to meaningful place, the works of Casey (1993), amongst others, are used to make further sense of the space/materiality/work nexus in organizational life. This article is based on empirical data gathered from a nine-month study of hairdressers working in hair salons and explores the function and meaning of liminal spaces used by hairdressers in their everyday lives. The contribution of this article is three-fold; it argues that space is not just about dominant spaces; it extends the concept of liminality; and in connection with the latter, it demonstrates how transitory dwelling places offer fertile ground in which we might further develop our knowledge of the lived experiences of space at work
Evaluation in management education: A visual approach to drawing out emotion in student learning.
No full textThis article introduces a confluent method of evaluation from the qualitative paradigm that encourages student feedback via a sensory route, namely, participant-produced drawings. Through a phenomenological qualitative inquiry carried out at a UK university where the use of participant-produced drawings were piloted, three areas for consideration with regards to enhancing the evaluation of undergraduate provision in management education were identified: (a) giving students space to emotionally respond to their learning, (b) acknowledging the temporal aspect of student learning and (c) offering students the opportunity to set and shape the evaluative agenda. Participant-produced drawing is offered as a method of evaluation that is appreciative of the cognitive-affective learning debate and the rapidly changing nature of higher education practice. We argue that this method provides rich evaluative data on the affective nature of learning that is not as easily explored by traditional, quantitative methods. © The Author(s) 2012
Grounded visual pattern analysis:photographs in organizational field studies
No full text© The Author(s) 2017. Visual methodologies for researching organizational life have grown in popularity over the past decade, with conceptual and methodological foundations now well documented. However, analytical critique has not kept pace, and so in this article we offer grounded visual pattern analysis (GVPA) as a rigorous means of analysis that mines the discursive meanings of individual photographs and the visual patterns apparent across multiple still images. We illustrate GVPA’s value through an ethnographic field study investigating the relationship between workplace environments and identity formation among hair salon workers in the United Kingdom. Specifically, we explain how to combine the strengths of both “dialogical” and “archaeological” approaches to visual research, which have hitherto been seen as distinct endeavors. We argue this is particularly valuable in field studies addressing material turns in organization studies, such as studies of space, strategy-as-practice, embodied cognition, and servicescape aesthetics. The article concludes by putting forward a series of potential directions for the future of visual organizational research based on the bridging of Meyer et al.’s five different methodological approaches
Identityscapes of a hair salon: Work identities and the value of visual methods
No full textThis article considers how one group of workers, hairdressers, use aspects of their material landscape of work as important resources in the production and re-production of their work identities. It shows how the participants of the study use the spaces, objects and things in their workplaces to form a visual narrative of who they are. The article also considers the significance of visual methods in such identity research. It argues for encouraging participants using participant-led photography to choose how to view and arrange their photographs. Participants' preference for paper analogue prints rather than on-screen digital images allowed them to work with multiple images simultaneously, rather than consecutively, and enabled them to create richer accounts of career development by incorporating time and movement in their stories. The participants' construction of these 'identityscapes', it is argued, can be usefully understood in relation to the concept of 'photomontages' developed by the British artist David Hockney. © Sociological Research Online, 1996-2012
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