Understanding and Using Grounded Theory Method (GTM)

Location

Sokos Hotel Alexandra, Hannikaisenkatu 35, 40100 Jyväskylä

Registration

Registration is open until March 6. Max. 28 participants. First priority is given to students who complete the course to gain credits.

Speaker

Professor Cathy Urquhart, Professor Emeritus of Digital Business at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, and visiting Professor at the Department of Informatics at Lund University, Sweden.

Detailed Program

Day 1 – Introducing Grounded Theory

9.00 – 12.00

By the end of the session, participants will understand basic options for analysing qualitative data, including different options for coding. We will then proceed to look at GTM as an example of ‘bottom up’ coding. We will discuss the key features of GTM and aspects of its history. Participants will also be asked to evaluate GTM in the context of their own research.

13.00 - 17.00

Participants will have a good understanding of GTM coding stages and will have experienced some coding themselves. Through an example, they will see how coding is an iterative process.

Day 2 – Going Deeper – Theoretical Integration and Theoretical Sampling in GT, and What Is A Theory Anyway?

9.00 – 12.00

By the end of this session, participants will have a good understanding of how to write up the theory they have produced and theoretically integrate their theory. Theoretical memos and theoretical sampling will be discussed, as well as ways to present the emergent theory.

13.00 - 17.00

By the end of this session, participants will have been introduced to broader concepts of theory building, including the use of mechanisms. Glaser’s coding families will also be discussed.

Day 3 – Writing Up Your GT Study

09.00 -12.00

By the end of the session, participants will have a good understanding of the challenges of writing up a GTM study, and how to solve them.

13.00 - 15.00

By the end of the session, participants will have a good understanding of the publication process for a qualitative/GTM paper, of what makes a good publication, and how to get their work published. Participants will have produced a publication plan by the end of the session. A section of the workshop will also be devoted to troubleshooting particular PhD project issues.

Pre workshop assignment

Download two journal papers from the past two years from any two journals in the AIS Senior Scholars List of Premier Journals, that use the key word ‘grounded theory’. Answer the following questions: Is a theory or model produced in the paper? Does the paper say what type of grounded theory it is using? What do you think of the paper? Is it a good paper?

Due: Monday 13 March 2023 by email to c.urquhart@mmu.ac.uk

Post workshop assignment

Send a short reflection (300 words) on the key learning points of this workshop. Please feel free to ask any follow up questions related to the workshop.

Due: Friday 31 March 2023 by email to c.urquhart@mmu.ac.uk

Grounded Theory Reading List

Hekkala R, and Urquhart C (2012), Everyday Power Struggles: Living in an IOIS project, European Journal of Information Systems, 4 September 2012, doi:10.1057/ejis.2012.43

Levina, N and Vaast, E, Innovating or Doing as Told? Status Differences and Overlapping Boundaries in Offshore Collaboration. MIS Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp 307-332, June 2008, Available SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1136880 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1136880

Seidel, S. and Urquhart, C. (2013), On emergence and forcing in information systems grounded theory studies: the case of Strauss and Corbin, Journal of Information Technology, 29, 237-260. DOI: 10.1057/jit.2013.17

Urquhart C (2022), How to Do a Grounded Theory Study Online, Doing Research Online, Ed Kate Orton, Sage Research Methods Database

Urquhart, C. and Fernandez, W. (2013), Using Grounded Theory Method: The Researcher as Blank Slate and Other Myths, Journal of Information Technology, 28, 224-236. DOI: 10.1057/jit.2012.34

Urquhart C, Lehmann H and Myers M (2010), Putting the Theory Back into Grounded Theory: Guidelines for Grounded Theory Studies in Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, 20, 4, pp 357-381

Wiesche, Manuel; Jurisch, Marlen C.; Yetton, Philip W.; Krcmar, Helmut, Grounded Theory Methodology in Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly. Sep2017, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p685-702.

Credit points

Doctoral students participating in the seminar can obtain 3 credit points. This requires participating and completing the assignments.

Registration fee

This seminar is free-of-charge for Inforte.fi member organization's staff and their PhD students. For others the participation fee is 400 €. The participation fee includes access to the event and the event materials. Lunch and dinner are not included.