Understanding historical methods in organizational studies: JoAnne Yates jyates@mit

1. Understanding historical methods in organizational studies: JoAnne Yates jyates@mit.edu

2. The big picture: How does history fit in to organization studies? • On surface, seems most similar to qualitative work but • Differences in expectations for qualitative and historical study of organizations • Sampling, access, and methods • Evidence: Varieties and preferences • Temporality • Confidentiality • Publication genres • Genre norms for articles

3. Sampling, access, and methods Qualitative • Sampling • Often case study (possibly comparative) • Theoretical Sampling • Access: Open-ended access to people & site are critical to case choice • Methods: Explicit, may use qualitative analysis software (discussed in paper with canonical references) Historical • Sampling • Often case study (possibly comparative) • Sampling on historically significant phenomena • Access: Survival of and access to documents critical to case choice • Methods: Typically more implicit (not discussed in paper)

4. Evidence: Varieties and preferences Qualitative • Evidence: • Interviews, observation, images, numbers, documents • Preference for spoken and observed over written • Distrust of written because of assumed CYA motives Historical • Evidence: • Documents, numbers, images, artifacts, interviews if possible • Preference for written at the time over spoken • Distrust of oral because of assumed retrospective bias

5. Temporality Qualitative • Cross sectional dominates • situation at particular moment • Nouns, concepts, categories, boxes • Longitudinal more rare • Typically months to few years • May reflect perspective of • Past—period preceding time of study • Future • Always reflects perspective of • Present—current time Historical • Longitudinal dominates • Change over time • Typically decades to centuries • Verbs, actors and actions • Cross sectional virtually absent • Always reflects perspective of • Pasts—multiple pasts, including period preceding time of study and time of study • Present—how we view it today • May reflect perspective of • Future

6. Confidentiality Qualitative • Organization often disguised • Makes it seem more generalizable • Often necessary to gain access to organization and to publish • Individuals always disguised unless public figures • IRBs often require disguise Historical • Organization never disguised • Historical embeddedness more important than generalizability • If organizational permission required and not given, no publication results • Individuals almost never disguised • More problematic for recent history

7. Primary scholarly publication genres Qualitative • Journal articles (and, rarely, books) • Desirable attributes • Answers theoretical puzzle or fills theoretical gap • Sharp theorizing • Satisfying explanations • Rebuttal of alternative explanations Historical • Books (and, to lesser extent, journal articles) • Desirable attributes • Answers question or explains puzzle • New historical material • Meaningful, insightful interpretation • Well-written reconstruction

8. Scholarly genre norms for articles Qualitative • Introduction previewing findings and contributions • Theory section • Site and methods section—very explicit with canonical references • Findings (organized by interpretation) • Discussion—links to existing theory, building contribution • Conclusion typically focusing on theory, noting limitations Historical • Introduction previewing theme/interpretation • Literature review in introduction and footnotes • No methods section • Body organized by chronology & interpretation • Conclusion typically focusing on interpretation of phenomenon, possibly subsequent developments

9. Recommendations for Org Scholars • Include documentary availability in assessing access • Triangulate documents with oral, observational sources • Take advantage of perspective from future with historical data • Value book as genre of publication for historical and ethnographic work • Allows elaboration of complex details and interactions • Allows support of theory with adequate evidence Historians • Make methods explicit and consider access for interviews • Triangulate interviews, observations with documents • Reflect future perspective • Consider confidentiality needs • When writing articles for management journals • Frame as theoretical or empirical • Make methods explicit • Provide theory section • Focus on theoretical contribution