Entrepreneurs have to navigate an environment that is constantly producing new challenges and changes. It’s also increasingly an environment where there is a need for a pro-social and ethical approach to business.
I am developing this research with the aim of finding out how entrepreneurs can be supported to be pro-social as well as discovering how they can be better supported at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. This will encompass looking at the positive and negative aspects of entrepreneurship that impact on people at various stages of their business development, as well as delving into the motivations, values, and psychological needs of the entrepreneurs themselves.
Entrepreneurship is complex, so that’s why this phase of the research is underpinned by a view that reality is dependent on human interpretation of knowledge (relativism) and that knowledge is a subjective reflection of how we come to understand the world. There is no single underlying reality (constructionism).
It recognises that there are multiple versions of reality, and that experience is contextual i.e. it is influenced by setting, social, and cultural factors. It uses a natural approach to collect data in the form of words as a way of gaining meaning by identifying patterns, interactions, and stories within the data.
The aim of Phase 2 of the research is not to contradict or complement the finding or results in Phase 1, but to conduct a stand-alone study that provides detailed descriptions of entrepreneurs’ experience of prosocial values and behaviours. The aim is to draw knowledge from within entrepreneurship that paints a real picture of its richness, complexity, and ‘messiness.’
To achieve this, Phase 2 will be less structured, more open-ended and organic, and driven by the participants.
Why use qualitative research methods?
Qualitative research methods will be used because entrepreneurship is a complex area that has the potential to provide rich and complex data, and unanticipated findings (Sutrisna & Barrett, 2007) by accessing data from within the context of entrepreneurship.
The intention of using qualitative research methods is to develop an in-depth understanding around the feelings, attitudes, and beliefs associated with entrepreneurship and prosocial values and behaviours, as well as the understanding of these same values and behaviours in a wider social, economic, and political context.
The less structured approach means that it’s not confined to pre-determined categories so there is the potential to explore the meaning and motivation associated with entrepreneurship and pro-sociability from multiple perspectives and in detail.
Interviews will not be restricted to specific questions but will be guided/redirected in real time and the research framework can be revised as new information and insights emerge.
Research driven by real experiences
The research aims to answer a number of questions that include:
(a) What are entrepreneurs’ experience of prosocial values and behaviours in business settings?
(b) What are their views of prosocial values and behaviours?
(c) What are examples prosocial behaviours of entrepreneurs experienced?
(d) What are the factors influencing prosocial values and behaviours?
(e) How can prosocial values and behaviour development in entrepreneurs be best developed?
The findings will inform Phase 3 of the research which will be the development and piloting of an intervention designed to support the development of prosocial values and behaviours in entrepreneurs.
How will the data be collected?
Data will be collected via virtual interviews, focus groups, a qualitative on-line survey, and some secondary data sources that include postings in a social-media platform that has been set up to support the research. Experiential Thematic Analysis will be used to identify themes and patterns of meaning in relation to the research questions within the data with a focus on how participants make sense of prosocial values and behaviours. The study is of a moderate (medium) size and in line with recommendations made by Braun and Clarke (2013) will involve 1 -20 interviews, 3-6 focus groups, 50 – 100 survey responses, and 1 – 200 sources from electronic materials.
Will the research be credible?
Ensuring the quality of the data, that appropriate methods are used, and that research participants are representative will make the research findings credible.
This phase of the research will demonstrate “triangulation” of data sources, providing information from different perspectives (Miles & Huberman,1994).