The Research Cycles — Collecting and Analysing Data

Abstract

Chapter 4 presented the activities that took place to initiate the organisational culture change at German Real Estate. The activities relating to the core AR cycles are important for the research cycles. Some of the activities are used as quantitative data (like the staff surveys), while others served as possibilities for gaining data by participant observation and qualitative interviews. Parallel to the core AR cycles, the research cycles took place in the period between late May 2009 and late April 2011. For the research it was important to define a final point where it finished. According to prior agreement with the board of German Real Estate, it was decided to end with a final staff survey to consider the development which had taken place over the phases. This chapter discusses the methods used to collect data for the research during this time. Participant observation is used at different times. Therefore, this particular method is discussed in detail when it is introduced for the first time. Later sections will refer to this discussion. Where necessary, more details will be presented when methods are used a second or third time.