Husserl’s epoche and the way of the sword: exploring pathways into phenomenological inquiry

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-402
Author(s):  
Bradley Edward Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Continental Philosophy ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Phenomenological Inquiry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

Purpose Phenomenology is widely recognised for its power to generate nuanced understanding of lived experience and human existence. However, phenomenology is often made inaccessible to prospective researchers due to its specialised nomenclature and dense philosophical underpinnings. This paper explores the value of the researcher’s lived experience as a pathway into phenomenological inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to improve the accessibility of phenomenology as a method for qualitative analysis. It achieves this by aligning Husserl’s concept of phenomenological epoche, or bracketing of preconceptions, and the author’s lived experience as a practitioner of kendo, or Japanese fencing. Design/methodology/approach The paper employs the narrative vignette as a means of illuminating the intersections between kendo practice and the application of phenomenological epoche as it applies to the understanding of embodied sensemaking. Reflections on the narrative vignette identified a suite of techniques from kendo practice that were applied to a phenomenological approach for critical incident interviews. These techniques were then applied to 30 critical incident, semi-structured interviews as part of a PhD research project into embodied sensemaking. Findings The results from these interviews suggest that the kendo-derived techniques were effective in generating thick narratives from participants during semi-structured interviews. Examination of the results provided insights into the linkage between phenomenology as a continental philosophy and eastern perspectives such as those found within the Zen traditions and other aesthetic practices. Originality/value This research suggests that lived experience such as kendo practice can provide a ready-to-hand pathway to phenomenological inquiry.

Describing the experiences of older persons with visual impairments during COVID-19 in rural Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 371-383
Author(s):  
Ariel Kwegyir Tsiboe
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Ghana

Purpose This study aims to describe the lived experiences among older persons with disability during the coronavirus pandemic in rural Ghana. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a qualitative methodology consistent with a phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Findings During the pandemic, care rendered to older persons with disabilities by their caregivers easily declined because of the lockdown measure. This made the participants suffer in profound loneliness and hunger, and forced some to generate suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, the participants who lived with their family members were also kept indoors for several weeks to reduce their chances of contracting the virus. This was because participants’ family members loosed confidence in the Ghanaian health-care system in protecting their older relatives. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to explore the experiences of older persons with disabilities during coronavirus disease 2019 in rural Ghana. The Ghanaian Government should consider formalized care to ensure continued care of older persons with disabilities especially during pandemics and future related uncertainties.

scholarly journals “The future of an illusion”: a paradoxes of CSR

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
José María González-González ◽  
Francisco D. Bretones ◽  
Rocío González-Martínez ◽  
Pedro Francés-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Emotional Equilibrium

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological strategies as well as the rhetorical and discursive arguments developed in organizations and by individuals when they have to cope with the paradoxes and changes related to CSR.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the perspective of the paradox as an analytical framework to parse strategies developed in organizations as they cope with tensions and changes related to CSR. The authors conducted 50 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and the authors performed a qualitative analysis with the information compiled.FindingsThe main strategies for dealing with CSR paradoxes and changes consist of developing perceptual and motivational biases as well as explicative heuristic ones through which, from a discursive perspective, a coherent and conciliatory framework is presented with rhetoric that play a fundamental role in justifying CSR as a present hope over a future illusion regardless of the past reality.Originality/valueThe lesson to be drawn from the exploration is the following: managers and CSR officers need to leave behind fear, anxiety and defensive attitudes and accept the paradox by re-contextualizing the tension as a stimulus for conscious and reflexive confrontation with emotional equilibrium, this being defiantly motivating as a sensemaker. In this way, the approach to the present inconsistencies in CSR should not involve a dismissal of conflictive situations but rather the development of the capacity to transcend the tension emanating from them and to learn to manage organizations from this paradoxical reality.

scholarly journals An investigation into the different styles of the lawyer and construction specialist when mediating construction disputes

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Wall ◽  
Nii Ankrah ◽  
Jennifer Charlson
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Disputes ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Better Than

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the views and experiences of mediators from different professional backgrounds practising in the construction industry. Previous research shows that the legal profession dominates construction mediation in both England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach The phenomenological approach was used to capture the lived experiences of the interviewees and gain insight into their views and practices. The data collection was by semi-structured interviews. The data was then analysed using software to establish themes. Findings The major difference in mediator practice discovered between the two groups is the use of the evaluative style by lawyer and facilitative style by non-lawyer mediators. Non-lawyer mediators strongly reported their criticisms of the evaluative style in mediation suggesting that it undermines the parties’ ability to self-determine their own dispute and reduces the level of satisfaction experienced by the parties in the process of mediation. Lawyer mediators supported the use of the evaluative style as an acceptable compromise on the parties’ self-determination and feelings of satisfaction in pursuit of achieving the goal of a settlement in mediation, which was significantly better than the escalation of stress and costs to the parties in the event that the dispute escalates to litigation. In addition, mandatory mediation, the role of advisors/advocates, governance and the future of mediation were explored. Originality/value The research is anticipated to be of particular benefit to parties considering referring a construction dispute to mediation.

Exploring flexible home arrangements – an interview study of workers who live in vans

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 747-761
Author(s):  
Angus J. Duff ◽  
Scott B. Rankin
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
First Time ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of workers who live in vans to explore how work and non-work interact when one's living environment is mobile.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 participants. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts, coded while listening to each interview recording, provided a rich account of the interaction of work and non-work life domains.FindingsSeveral themes were identified, including seeing the van as a home, hidden or disclosed identity stemming from living in a van, financial freedom, career freedom and work/non-work synchronization. Overall, findings suggest that flexible home arrangements, the relocation of one's home to adapt to work, aligned work and non-work domains to positively impact their overall work and non-work satisfaction, providing career freedom and expanded career opportunities.Research limitations/implicationsThe understanding of workers who live in vans broadens one’s understanding of mobile work and the work/non-work interface, providing insight into the dual alignment of work and home to accommodate each other, which the authors term work/non-work synchronization.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to consider van living from a work and career perspective and for the first time conceptualizes the notion of flexible home arrangements.

scholarly journals Camping: a tool for relationship maintenance?

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-55
Author(s):  
Rosie Morrow ◽  
Alison Rodriguez ◽  
Nigel King
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Relationship Dissolution ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Support Intervention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stage Analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate individuals’ lived experience of camping, and to explore the effects of camping on relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopted a descriptive phenomenological approach (Langdridge, 2007). Guided interviews were carried out with four participants, recalling their most memorable camping experience, with the aid of photographs to elicit memories. Analysis followed Colaizzi's (1978) seven-stage analysis and findings were discussed in relation to Duck's model of relationship dissolution (1981). Findings – Findings concern how camping is a great opportunity for couples, and friends, to re-connect with each other, reinforcing existing bonds and strengthening weakened ones. Other findings included enjoyment of the tranquillity and relaxation the natural environment provided, and for some the sense of adventure was encouraged, and the idea of “being away” from the usual surroundings was reported to be of relational benefit. Originality/value – The discovery of the benefit for camping on relationships is a unique and valuable contribution in this field because it has shown that camping can maintain, and evolve, relationships. As such, camping could be used as a bonding or relationship support intervention.

scholarly journals Unseen and unheard? Women managers and organizational learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn M. Martin ◽  
Gemma Lord ◽  
Izzy Warren-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Women Managers ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Gendered Organizations

Purpose This paper aims to use (in)visibility as a lens to understand the lived experience of six women managers in the headquarters of a large multinational organization in the UK to identify how “gender” is expressed in the context of organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach The researchers take a phenomenological approach via qualitative data collection with a purposeful sample – the six female managers in a group of 24. Data were collected through quarterly semi-structured interviews over 12 months with the themes – knowledge, interaction and gender. Findings Organizations seek to build advantage to gain and retain competitive leadership. Their resilience in a changing task environment depends on their ability to recognize, gain and use knowledge likely to deliver these capabilities. Here, gender was a barrier to effective organizational learning with women’s knowledge and experience often unseen and unheard. Research limitations/implications This is a piece of research limited to exploration of gender as other, but ethnicity, age, social class, disability and sexual preference, alone or in combination, may be equally subject to invisibility in knowledge terms; further research would be needed to test this however. Practical implications Practical applications relate to the need for organizations to examine and address their operations for exclusion based on perceived “otherness”. Gendered organizations cause problems for their female members, but they also exclude the experience and knowledge of key individuals as seen here, where gender impacted on effective knowledge sharing and cocreation of knowledge. Social implications The study offers further evidence of gendered organizations and their impacts on organizational effectiveness, but it also offers insights into the continues social acceptance of a masculinized normative model for socio-economic practice. Originality/value This exploration of gender and organizational learning offers new insights to help explain the way in which organizational learning occurs – or fails to occur – with visibility/invisibility of one group shaped by gendered attitudes and processes. It shows that organizational learning is not gender neutral (as it appears in mainstream organizational learning research) and calls for researchers to include this as a factor in future research.

Toward an understanding of brand sexual associations

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salim L. Azar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Projective Drawings ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Sexual Identities ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to explore brand sexual associations and to understand the antecedents of these associations by drawing from an anthropomorphic view of consumption and a socio-psychological perspective. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory qualitative analysis based on 18 semi-structured interviews was conducted. Following symbolic interactionism and inter-subjectively reflective approaches, three main methods were used: interviews, projective drawings and a pen-and-paper exercise. Findings – The results of this paper strongly confirm that a brand is perceived by consumers as having a sex, a gender and a sexual orientation. These findings point toward a crucial distinction between these three constructs. Construct conceptualizations are developed and definitions are suggested. Nine antecedents for brand sexual associations are studied. Research limitations/implications – French subjects constitute the sample. Future studies might investigate the transferability of our results to other cultures. The three constructs broadens the existing brand-as-a-person metaphor and brand gender literature. Practical implications – Managers need to consider the construction of their brands’ sexual identities, namely, the sexual associations that brand strategists desire to create and maintain. The study of the antecedents of brand sexual associations provides brand managers the opportunity to manage actively those specific types of associations. Originality/value – This research contributes to the brand-as-a-person metaphor and to the brand gender literature with new insights about the nature and structure of brand sexual associations. This paper moves the conceptualization of these constructs forward.

scholarly journals “I’m not homosexual or heterosexual, I’m paedosexual”: exploring sexual preference for children using interpretive phenomenology

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie S. Walton ◽  
Simon Duff
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Sexual Preference ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Interpretive Phenomenology ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Inherent Problem ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose There is little research that examines the experiences of individuals who were assessed as having a sexual preference for children. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lived experience of five incarcerated participants who possessed a sexual preference for either prepubescent or pubescent children and had completed an accredited programme for males convicted of sexual offences in HM Prison Service in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were carried out and the data were analysed using the principles of an interpretative phenomenological approach. Findings Three recurrent themes were identified. These were: internal battle, I am always going to have these thoughts, and there is no help out there. In particular, these participants perceived that their sexual preference was relatively enduring and would require continuous management. Practical implications The results have implications for clinical practice and further research. Clinicians may need to think particularly creatively about their therapeutic plans and extend the parameters of desirable treatment goals for clients with sexual preferences for children. Originality/value To date there are very few studies that have examined the accounts of men with a sexual preference for children regarding their lived experience. Paedophilia constitutes a stable sexual preference, suggesting that convicted perpetrators with such a preference face an inherent problem. Whilst sexual urges may be regulated and arousability reduced, the underlying attraction may remain intact. In response to the lack of research in this area, the aim of this study was to investigate the lived experience of a sexual preference for children.

Navigating institutional challenges in Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Estrada-Robles ◽  
Nick Williams ◽  
Tim Vorley
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Unit Of Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Resources And Capabilities ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Institutional Challenges

Purpose Focusing on the family as the central unit of analysis, the purpose of this paper is to examine how entrepreneurial families, with more than one owner/entrepreneur, utilise social capital in a challenging institutional environment. Design/methodology/approach The empirical focus of this paper is the institutional context of Mexico and how it impacts on entrepreneurial families and their access to social capital. The authors employ an in-depth qualitative approach to understand entrepreneurs’ perspective as being part of an entrepreneurial family. A total of 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted with multiple respondents of each entrepreneurial family. Findings This study shows that social capital allows members in the entrepreneurial family to access a wider pool of resources to utilise to benefit their ventures, while also helping them to operate in a challenging institutional environment. It also illustrates how social capital is used to overcome institutional asymmetries. Originality/value This paper contributes to research by examining the links between institutions and entrepreneurial families through a focus on social capital. It provides a nuanced understanding of how the entrepreneurial family serves as an intermediary through which social capital gives family members access to resources and capabilities to enable their pursuit of entrepreneurial endeavours and overcome the institutional challenges they face in Mexico.

scholarly journals Wii are family: consumption, console gaming and family togetherness

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 2005-2025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathriona Nash ◽  
Lisa O’Malley ◽  
Maurice Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Family Consumption ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Interpretive Method ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Ethnographic Methodology ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to understand the relationship between family togetherness and consumption. This is important given the inherent tension permeating discourses of family consumption and a lack of a critical understanding about how togetherness is experienced, expressed and performed. The Nintendo Wii and Wii gaming were explicitly chosen to engage in a more nuanced understanding and to provide a route to access families in their natural consumption habitat. Design/methodology/approach An interpretive ethnographic methodology was utilised to investigate family consumption in context and used in conjunction with the biographical narrative interpretive method to capture reflective and detailed informants’ consumption experiences. Holistic content analysis was used to interpret and aid thematic development. Findings Opportunities for idealised family togetherness afforded by the Wii still appeal to family members. Idealised family togetherness is accessed through collective, “proper” Wii gaming but is ultimately unsustainable. Importantly, the authors see that relational togetherness and bonding is also possible, and as such, the lived experience, expression and performance of family togetherness are not prescriptive. Originality/value Family togetherness is a useful and important lens through which to understand the dynamic relationship between family, consumption and the marketplace. The authors suggest that current conceptualisations of togetherness are too idealised and prescriptive and should be open to critical rethinking and engagement by both academics and industry practitioners to communicate with and about families and to explore how to be part of relevant and meaningful family conversations.

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