Business & Sustainability
3. Methods
3.1 Data creation methods
Data creation methods refer to actions of building raw material for further examination (6
& Bellamy, 2012). Therefore, in the context of this study data is created through reviewing literature, which included academic textbooks, academic journals and peer-reviewed articles. Utilizing the core keywords, e.g. “stakeholder”, “project management” and
“conflict” – the exploration of data began delving into the summon engine at MAH bibliographic database, and concurrently filtering out the peer-reviewed articles from
academic journals based on maximum relevancy with regard to abstracts and contents apparently. Newspaper articles, book reviews, and dissertations were eliminated during the data creation process while it was restricted to the social science discipline solely. From an array of articles from bibliographic database, and several rounds of explorations in order to look at the concepts from different perspectives to ensure the variety of input (Silverman, 2011), the core dataset which was created for this study is presented as follows:
Tab. 1: List of core scientific articles as the literature dataset
S/N Article title Author(s) Journal
01 Coping with an unexpected event: Tukiainen, S., Aaltonen, K.,
& International Journal of
Project managers' contrasting sense Murtonen, M. (2010) Managing Projects in making in a stakeholder conflict in Business, 3(3), 526-543.
02
china.
Incorporating stakeholders’ knowledge Chakhar, S., & Saad, I. (2014) Journal of Decision Systems,
in group decision-making. 23(1), 113-126
03 Learning from conflicts? The relationsWoerkom, M.v., & Engen,
M.v. European Journal of Work
between task and relationship conflicts, (2009) and Organizational 04
team learning and team performance. Psychology, 18(4), 381-404.
Toward a theory of managing Rahim, M. A. (2002) International Journal of
organizational conflict. Conflict Management, 13(3),
206-235.
05 Learning from multi-stakeholder Roloff, J. (2008) Journal of Business Ethics,
networks: Issue-focused stakeholder 82(1), 233-250
06
management.
The principle of good faith: Toward Dawkins, C. E. (2014) Journal of Business Ethics,
substantive stakeholder engagement. 121(2), 283-295.
3.2 Data collection methods
Data collection methods refer to actions of capturing what is essential for answering the research question with regard to the purpose of the study (6 & Bellamy, 2012). Aiming at gathering substantial amount of knowledge from the selected and sorted out articles in terms of qualitative data as justified beforehand, all the articles were printed out and read out thoroughly to demarcate the relevant parts on conflicts among project stakeholders which posed interesting relevancy for this study (Silverman, 2011). This demarcation proved useful to order, highlight and pinpoint necessary data regarding conflict types among project stakeholders based on the thematic relevancy of this study that constitute the theoretical sampling for data collection (6 & Bellamy, 2012; Silverman, 2011).
3.3 Data coding methods
Data coding methods refer to actions of classifying the information under thematic categories with regard to the purpose of the study (6 & Bellamy, 2012). In order to look at the concepts from different perspectives on conflict among project stakeholders to ensure the variety of input (Silverman, 2011); the final stage of coding is presented as follows:
Tab. 2: Concepts leading to categories as part of coding
Concepts Categories
Sense making processes
Cultural diversity and backgrounds Subjectivity
Decision making complexity / differences Different choice and preferences / priorities Systems and processes
Norms and objectives Objectivity
Learning systems
Team relations and defined tasks Project networks
Triangularity Inter-organizational projects
Multi-stakeholder networks
Partnership issues / cross-sector collaborations
3.4 Data organizing methods
Data organizing methods refer to actions of laying out whole sets of data that have been created, collected and coded accordingly with regard to the purpose of the study (6 &
Bellamy, 2012). In order to arrange the concepts from different perspectives on conflict among project stakeholders, the data was organized through tabulation that enabled coding to be less time consuming and highly efficient. Setting up linkages to organize the data has been proved useful to link up the aspects of conflict among project stakeholders from selected research, while also cross checking the coverage of all the inputs concerned (Silverman, 2011).
3.5 Data analyzing methods
Data analyzing methods refer to actions of identifying important patterns where data is manipulated with regard to the purpose of the study (6 & Bellamy, 2012). The analysis method used in this study is desk research together with content analysis and it is basically analysis and synthesis of already existing aforesaid literature defended beforehand through
codes, concepts and categories. In analyzing methods, the data was developed to reflect multifaceted ideas inductively inspired by a grounded theory analysis approach to add value to the research (Silverman, 2011). Therefore, the data analysis in this research was approached from grounded theory using groundwork concepts from theories in interaction with the findings of the literature review above with regard to conflict among project stakeholders (Silverman, 2011).
3.6 Validity and Reliability of the research
Depending on the ontological and epistemological standpoint on positivist and social constructivist viewpoints respectively, which altogether constitute the critical realism approach of the researcher, this study provides the similar shoes, viewpoints and lenses to other researchers to see the reality and knowledge of the conflicts among project stakeholders in the same understanding and light. Depending on the fundamental and foundational type of this research, it will pave the path for further research as well, disregarding the negligible differences which might occur due to the subjectivity of the researchers in their own constructions.
3.7 Ethics and Quality of the research
The ethical considerations of the study have been respectfully regarded, which ensures the quality of this research as well. In doing so, developing conflict types among project stakeholders without distorting information and respecting intellectual properties have remained a key concern of this research. Furthermore, to establish the overall quality of the research, the types have also been discussed relevantly as and when needed underpinned by relevant theories, and the selection of literature dataset is kept as representative as possible to look at the concepts from different perspectives to ensure the variety of input (Silverman, 2011).
3.8 Delimitation of this study
The research has been limited to the broader types of categories of conflicts among project stakeholders based on the constructions of the researcher, disregarding the possibility of sub- categories which is subject to further research.