Clean Language Interviewing

Heather Cairns-Lee, PhD, is adjunct professor at IMD, Switzerland and a visiting scholar at the University of Surrey, UK. Her teaching and research focus on metaphor, the development of leadership and sensemaking in organisations. Heather’s award-winning PhD study was the first large-scale application of clean language interviewing in a managerial setting.James Lawley is an independent researcher and a partner at The Developing Company. He has cooperated with and conducted training for several universities and organisations involving the application of clean language, metaphor, and symbolic modelling to qualitative research. James qualified as a psychotherapist in 1993 after a career as a senior manager in large corporations.Paul Tosey, PhD, is a freelance consultant and researcher. He first undertook training in clean language in 2006 and participates in the field as a coach, author, and research supervisor. Paul’s career experience includes public sector organisation development and university roles, most recently as Senior Lecturer and Head of PhD Programmes in the Surrey Business School, University of Surrey, UK.

• PART 1Chapter 1. An introduction to clean language interviewing for research; Paul Tosey, Heather Cairns-Lee, and James LawleyChapter 2. Eliciting interview data cleanly through minimising leading questions; Heather Cairns-Lee, James Lawley, and Paul ToseyChapter 3. Metaphor, clean language and qualitative research; Jan NehybaChapter 4. Enhancing clean language interviewing with modelling; James LawleyPART 2Chapter 5. Exploring experiences of work-life balance: a pilot study of clean language as an interview method; Margaret Meyer, Wendy Sullivan, Paul Tosey, and James LawleyChapter 6. Drawing lessons learned from mental models of leadership; Heather Cairns-LeeChapter 7. The potential of clean language interviewing for journalists; Jacqueline Ann SurinChapter 8. Using clean language interviewing to explore the lived experience of neurodifferent job applicants; Nancy Doyle and Uzma WaseemChapter 9. Making the unspoken visible through clean language: interviews with families facing encephalopathy in their child; Tania KorsakChapter 10. Modelling excellence: using clean language interviewing to research exceptional performance; Lynne CooperChapter 11. Coding-in-the-moment and other hidden skills of clean language interviewing; Caitlin Walker and Marian WayChapter 12. Facilitating change in organisations: applying clean language interviewing through action research; Maaike Nooitgedagt and Wendy NieuwlandChapter 13. Clean neutrality in conflict; Martin SnoddonChapter 14. Clean interviewing in management systems auditing; Yuji Yamagami and James RamirezChapter 15. Adding value and insight: applying clean language interviewing to market research; Wendy Sullivan and Di TunneyChapter 16. Interviewing for cause: when interviewing is about life and death; Sharon SmallPART 3Chapter 17. And, whereabouts is clean language interviewing now?; Paul Tosey, Heather Cairns-Lee, and James Lawley

This accessible clearly written edited volume details and explains the principles, methods, and application of clean language interviewing. It offers both a detailed understanding of the method and its applications across a wide range of research settings. Theoretically grounded and practically relevant this book should be essential for all those using interviews in their research and practice.