What is it about?
In this article, I discuss the diverse and strong emotions I experienced as a researcher conducting an ethnographic study in an organisational setting. I provide insights into the range of emotions that I experienced throughout the various stages of the research process from securing access, to conducting fieldwork and writing up research for publication. The article is based on my three year ethnographic study with three fire and rescue services and one independent fire training organisation in England.
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Why is it important?
The emotional nature of ethnographic research is often not discussed in the 'how-to' ethnographic research texts. In this article, I aim to contribute to a growing debate on the emotional impact of engaging in ethnographic research. Although this article focusses on organisational ethnography, comparisons are drawn with related disciplines and as such, this article may also be of interest to those conducting ethnographic studies in other fields.
Perspectives
The emotional impact of ethnographic research both on the researcher and their participants, is often neglected in the literature. It is hoped that the sharing of emotional experiences will better prepare new organisational researchers for the emotions they may experience in the field. There is a recognised need for more sharing of emotional experience in organisational studies. It is hoped that this paper goes some way to highlighting these emotional challenges and providing a catalyst for other researchers to do the same.
Angela Mazzetti
Newcastle University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: An exploration of the emotional impact of organisational ethnography, Journal of Organizational Ethnography, October 2016, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/joe-07-2016-0018.
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