The entanglement between technology and methodology in qualitative research has largely been overlooked in management and organization studies (MOS). In this paper, we rectify this inattention, proposing that the way we analyze qualitative data be viewed as a socio-technical practice. Guided by social construction of technology (SCOT) theory, we identify the implications of the adoption and normalization of CAQDAS by the qualitative research community, including in MOS. We find that the rise of CAQDAS has been coupled with the legitimization and institutionalization of what we term indexical coding: the practice of ordering, labelling, and retrieving textual data segments. While indexical coding is often treated in MOS as methodologically authoritative and analytically indispensable, we problematize its dominance showing how it threatens interpretive agency and methodological pluralism. We propose ways forward that restore interpretive agency, reconnect data analysis to methodology, reclaim analytical pluralism and recognize the need for reflexivity in technology use - practices made more pressing with the advent of generative AI and its integration in CAQDAS.
As open science ideas gain traction in communication and media studies, qualitative researchers face unique challenges and opportunities in adopting transparent and reproducible practices. This article contributes to the growing conversation on open research infrastructures by introducing the Qualitative Data Repositor...
D. Kirilova, L. Humphreys· Media and Communication· 0 citations
In commons and institutional research, the Institutional Analysis and Development framework (IADF) has proven itself as a useful tool to investigate the complexities of social-environmental systems. It is effective in guiding researchers through the process of understanding complex problem situations. The framework hel...
Iasc-Ecn Power Collective, Désirée Schwindenhammer, Lavanya Suresh et al.· International Journal of the...· 0 citations
Qualitative organizational researchers value evidence that offers rich insights into social phenomena. While the growing abundance of digital data holds significant potential, researchers are typically not present to observe the processes through which they are created or maintained. This article addresses the challeng...
A. Nix, Stephanie Decker, David A. Kirsch et al.· Organization Studies· 0 citations
This article engages with the persistent methodological challenge of balancing between blueprinting and flexibility, between pre-designed structure and responsiveness to the field. Although repeatedly acknowledged by qualitative methodologists, practical guidance on managing this balance remains limited. This is highly...
Gerben Moerman, E. Baillergeau, C. Bröer· Qualitative Research· 0 citations
With the aim of bringing clarity to the realm of qualitative research—and offering a transition from tradition to methodological rationale—I employ Millian and Popperian inductive analysis methods to build a post-positivist account regarding the diversity of qualitative research varieties. I am responding to the proble...
Marius Bytautas· The Qualitative Report· 0 citations
In our field, the conception of method has become increasingly black-boxed, thereby giving prevalence to the technical and procedural nature of method, obscuring its theoretical, value-laden and embodied character. This essay aims to reconnect method with the doing of research, by making us receptive to what is lost wh...
Viviane Sergi, Jeremy Aroles· Organization Studies· 0 citations
Professor Ali Jadbabaie describes how AI, digital transformation, climate change, and complex geopolitics are forcing engineers and policymakers to rethink how infrastructure is designed, built, and managed.
MIT News · Artificial Intelligence· news.mit.eduOct 27, 2026
Prabha Jha used her experience with MIT Open Learning’s program for senior executives to develop AI solutions for her employer, Verizon, and to write a book.
