Researching Organizations

Matthew Jones is a lecturer in Information Systems at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.  He previously held postdoctoral positions at the University of Reading and the University of Cambridge where he was involved in the development of computer-based models for public policy decision- making.  He has conducted research using a wide variety of different methods including laboratory experiments, computer simulations, interviews and participant observation and has undertaken fieldwork in organisations in a range of different industries including management consultancy, print and broadcast media, and the energy and healthcare sectors. His research interests are concerned with the relationship between information systems and social and organisational change and he has written widely on theoretical and methodological issues in this area.  His work has been published in Accounting, Organizations and Society, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Communications of the ACM, Human Relations, Methods of Information in Medicine, MIS Quarterly and Organization Studies. He teaches qualitative research methods and research design to MPhil and PhD students in management and a course on researching organisations to graduate students in the social sciences.

• IntroductionResearch and OrganizationsThe Research ProcessEthics in Organizational ResearchGetting In: Seeking and Negotiating AccessGetting On: In the OrganisationGetting Out: Leaving the Field and Reporting Research in OrganizationsGetting BackEmerging Issues in Research in OrganizationsConclusions

Matthew Jones makes a great contribution to the study of organizations with his new book. Researching Organizations wrestles with very important yet all too often neglected issues in the practice of fieldwork methodology. The book is based on meticulous scholarship yet entertaining to read; I wish I’d had this book when I started my PhD studies!