Generación  de  ítems

As I mentioned earlier, the primary methods of investigation were interviewing (in-person) and direct observation. Additionally, I used questionnaire surveys based on the interim planned analysis. I collected data from multiple sources such as individuals (interviews), archives (company document and emails), visuals such as notice boards and placards, meetings, casual conversations among the employees (eavesdropping), and my casual conversations with the employees. I also had the opportunity to listen in on both formal and informal group conversations. I conducted group discussions as well. In Table 3.2 (next page), I provide a summary of these different methods of investigation, the multiple sources and the instruments that I used in both

organizations. The use of multiple methods and sources ensured validity, reliability, and credibility of the data collected (Miles & Huberman 1994; Strauss & Corbin 1998). Note that I took multiple interviews of the same individual at various stages of the implementation to map the evolution of individuals’ sensemaking.

Next, I describe how I used these instruments in the field to collect data starting with the interviews.

Location &

multinational 3 consultants 1*1+1*5+1*3

14 engineers/officers 3*3+8*2+3*1

August

07-March 08 9 supervisors/ clerical staff 5*2+4*1

8 workers 2*2+6*1

8 months (2

weeks hiatus) Total # of interviewees: 43 Total # of interviewees: 60

Interviewed 90% of the people directly involved

Length of interviews: 30 min to 3.5 hrs

government 5 consultants 1*2+4*1

24 engineers/officers 3*3+16*2+5*1

Sep 07-

March 08 11 supervisors/clerical staff 2*2+9*1

5 workers 2*2+3*1

4 TU reps (workers) 2*1+2*2

7 months (2

weeks hiatus) Total # of interviews: 57 Total # of interviews: 91

Interviewed 85% of the people directly involved

Length of interviews: 30 min to 4 hrs

a) Functional areas covered: diverse b) organizational hierarchy covered: across, c) interview locations: inside and outside of organizations, multiple

Other sources: Direct observations, archives, informal/casual conversations, employee conversations

Note: * means a multiplication sign

TABLE 3.2 METHODS AND SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION

As the qualitative case study approach suggests (Yin 2003), I prepared an interview probe. The interview probe consisted of an outline of some general questions. The objective of the probe was to provide a framework to articulate the bare necessity questions to be asked. But in line with the grounded theory approach, in most of the time during the interviews, I did not confine myself to these questions. Moreover, based on the preliminary analysis, I refined the interview probe after two months of field investigation. The revised probe consisted of seven general themes: a) meaning of ERP, b) expectations of ERP, c) anticipated and actual changes in ERP software and organization, d) reasons for implementing ERP, e) Implication of ERP

implementation for one’s own work and others’ work, f) images of actors (consultant and users), and g) understanding about the process of implementation. The interview probe served as a reminder regarding the bare information that needed to be collected.

All the interviews (except four due to reluctance of interviewees and another two which were conducted over telephone) and meetings (except two where permission was denied) were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. At the same time, I took detailed notes during the interviews. I transcribed all the interviews to my best ability with the help of my detailed notes. The verbatim transcription process was very time consuming with each 1-hour interview taking approximately 6-7 hours to convert into text. I did not use any voice recognition software; instead I listened to the audio records and transcribed it myself most of the time referring to the field notes in my research journal. The research journal, thus, helped fill-out the transcripts and

supplemented the interviews. I added some notations to the end of transcripts from the research journal. These notations included pre and post interview banter, non-verbal cues, and my interpretation of events. An example:

Although he had agreed for an interview at his office, now, he took me away to the canteen corner where there were none except two of us. He looked a bit timid in the beginning. Later on, he was comfortable. People consider him (name) to be close to the Purchase manager, who was fired three days back.

(Name) is known in the company for his open talk and I found this to be the case in the interview. He seems to pay high respect to research activities and considers research as an exercise of finding the truth. Also, see, he mentioned in the interview, “I am telling this so bluntly since you look like a true

researcher” (ref: Kool 0.1).

The research journal contained my observation, comments, informal or casual conversations (including eavesdropping), and practical information about office and plant locations and personal details that could help me develop rapport with

interlocutors, such as hobbies, family members, or personal interests. Such rapport helped the interviewees to be at ease with me during the interview.

All interviews except the interviews with the external ERP consultants were in their native language (which is my native language). I translated the transcribed interviews into English. To test the goodness of translation, I picked up three transcripts

randomly from the initial set of ten transcripts and gave it for rating to two

independent expert translators. On a five point scale (below average, average, good, very good, excellent) both of them rated my translation as good. I had contacted them later for suggestions giving them a description of the context. I accepted their

suggestions on translation (for example, customer “push-in” for customer

“thirukikayattal” in native language was their suggestion).

In addition to the interviews, direct observations and participation in meetings served as primary data. I scanned various visuals such as the notice boards (for example, the notice on the company notice board and TU’s notice boards), placards (for example, five out of seven displays in the plant in the multinational organization were about customer focus), postings, etc. While the Western multinational organization allowed me to sit through all ERP meetings and record it (but no recording of

employee-management council meeting), the local public organization did not allow me to attend most of their meetings. In the Western multinational organization, given my prior experience with ERP implementation and my engineering background, the MD told me that I could give suggestions in the meetings, if I wish. But I chose to be a silent observer. Both organizations offered me access to all ERP related documents including company correspondence with the consultants (such as emails and work contracts). In addition to these instruments of data collection, I also conducted group discussions with the non-managerial staff (called “workers”).

Besides the methods I described above, I also conducted questionnaire surveys: two in each organization that I have not included in this dissertation. One survey in each organization was to measure the organizational members’ perceptions about time in their work-life since perceptions about time in work-life came up as a main theme during the preliminary analyses of the data. Another survey in both organizations was an opinion survey to collect organizational members’ opinions about certain aspects of ERP implementation, which emerged as central themes in the preliminary analyses of the data. One of these preliminary analyses was a planned interim analysis that I performed in November 2007, near the middle of my fieldwork period. I took a two weeks hiatus from the field to do this analysis.