Qualitative as Method

A System Research & Insights Method

by
Kathryn Maloney M.A. ABS

An appreciator of contrast and the exquisite beauty found in the spaces between, Kathryn operates at the dynamic intersection of system complexity and applied behavioral science design, relentlessly driving outcome-based results. With over 25 years of transformative experience, she has been a catalyst for change, seamlessly weaving visionary systems initiatives into strategic priorities. As a trusted advisor and partner, she empowers leaders, founders, and teams to build robust businesses and effect profound change. Drawing from her extensive expertise, Kathryn immerses herself in the intricacies of leadership, communication, operational system designing, horizontal functioning, connective tissue knitting, and collective intelligence. She infuses presence, power, and profound self-awareness into comprehensive organisational strategies, implementing actionable changes that elevate your system’s potential and amplify its human value. Kathryn’s approach transcends mere complexity management; it’s about mastering it to forge meaningful impact. She empowers organizations to navigate challenges with unwavering clarity and purpose, ensuring that every initiative resonates deeply with the core mission and aspirations of the people involved. Her work isn’t merely about strategy; it’s about transforming visions into reality, creating a legacy of innovation, status quo disruption, and evolutionary growth.

more about Kathryn
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Qualitative research is a scientific approach that relies on a deep, multidimensional understanding of phenomena. When rigorously applied, it reveals insights through phenomenological exploration, which are difficult to achieve with quantitative methods.

Qualitative Approach

  • Qualitative research takes a discovery-oriented, exploratory, inductive approach to both describe and clarify experience.

  • It explores a phenomenom of interest using data collected through observation, interviews, document and artifact assessment, and all sorts of other kinds of field work.*

  • Unlike quantitative research which focuses on that which can be counted or quantified, qualitative research uses "languaged data"** to describe the way experience unfolds in naturalistic settings.

Because experience has a vertical depth, methods of data gathering such as surveys and questionnaires are often inadequate to capture its richness and fullness.***

Conducting Methods

Methods for conducting qualitative research are varied, yet they generally involve talking to people. Either as one-on-ones or in groups, to gain insight into people's behaviors, choices, preferences, motivations, and opinions.

In qualitative testing, a small sample size is typical. In fact, the size of the sample is less important than its relationship to research goals. Therefore, conducting "purposeful" sampling of a population of study offers useful manifestations of the phenomenon of interest.

In this way, sampling is aimed at insight about the phenomenon, not empirical generalisation from a sample to a population.****

Although qualitative testing results cannot be generalised into statistically significant results due to the small sample size, results provide nonetheless important insight data to suggest changes and improvements to a product or a service. Statistically significant results are not often/always the objective whereby that principal need not be applied.

Qualitative’s Formative Objectives

Depth Not Breadth

Qualitative research is about exploration and insight into "why these phenomena are occurring?" We use qualitative methodologies to gain a deep understanding of a phenomenon and to probe into the motivations, preferences, opinions, and cognitive aspects behind (user, stakeholder, consumer, audience, system, etc.) behavior.

The choice of methodology is always determined by the purpose of the study. The purpose should dictate methodology and not vice versa.

Our primary purpose is to uncover "system problems" and recommend/implement improvements that will result in system-centric designs. For this purpose, qualitative methodology is the best fit. It allows us to not only formatively explore a system, but also to talk directly to users of any system which is a key element of system-centered design. By allowing users the freedom to act and speak for themselves, we ground insights, innovations, recommendations, and implementations out of their experiences and insights.

Behavior Not Cognitivism

As qualitative researchers, we want to learn (1) what works, (2) what doesn't work, and (3) how to make formative changes. We collect observations and insights about how people, groups, and the system relate, communicate, share, do conflict, make decisions, run meetings, guide their work, use technology, prioritise, envision, pivot, scale, spread, and fold. How the system functions and how it behaves.

Exploration Not Determinism

A qualitative approach allows the team to explore specific problematic areas of a system's functioning. Through observing, asking generative, reflective, and probing questions, and trialing alternative, co-creative ways we begin to uncover and embed new functionality, tooling, human technologies, surfacing and unlocking capabilities, and shaping collectively true and honest behaviors and voices. In doing so, the system intelligence learns to live into system emergence as the way of operating around what works, to more comfortably interact with and shift consistently what does not. Enhancing what is with more enthusiasm and animation becomes the elevated baseline.

Qualitative Measurement

The result is targeted improvements as an ongoing flow. Improvements that track to direct, shared experience; intentional and strategic outcomes; and individual growth as active, healthy members of the qualitative lab. Results that can be measured, yet with an appreciation that the findings will slip quickly as new, dimensional phenomena emerge.

The asterisks (*-****) above are direct quotes (from somebody's good work) on qualitative method that I long ago put into a notebook. Below are some possibilities.

Qualitative Method / Researchers to Read
  • John W. Creswell (Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design)

  • Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln (Handbook of Qualitative Research)

  • David Silverman (Interpreting Qualitative Data)

  • Amadeo Giorgi

  • Max Van Manen (Researching Lived Experience)

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by Kathryn Maloney M.A. ABS
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