Qualitative Data Analysis: Exploring Themes, Metaphors and Stories

• Author: Catherine Cassell,Vicky Bishop
• Date: 01 March 2019
• Published date: 01 March 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12176

Qualitative Data Analysis: Exploring Themes,

Metaphors and Stories

CATHERINE CASSELL and VICKY BISHOP

Birmingham BusinessSchool, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

This paperexplores the processesand outcomes of using three different forms of dataanalytic processes to analyse

the same set of qualitative data. The dataset are 24 in-depth qualitative interviews with taxi drivers about their

experiencesof dignity at work. Toenable an effective comparisonof techniques, three typesof analysis are used which

rely on similarcategorisation processes: template analysis; story analysis; and metaphor analysis. In presenting the

analysis the aims are to draw attention to the research questions and opportunities for theorising that might be

enabled by a given analytic approach and highlight some of the rich variety of analytic approaches available to

the qualitative management researcher. Hence we offer a novel, empirical accountof the practical use of these three

approaches with the intention of potentially expanding the analytic toolkit of other qualitative researchers and

promotingthe use of a range of differentforms of qualitative data analysis.It is argued that given the increasing trend

towards standardisation in qualitative management research, it is important to promote alternatives within the

qualitative researcher’s analytic toolkit.

Keywords: qualitative; qualitative data analysis; taxidrivers; stories; metaphors; thematic analysis

Introduction

There has been a long tradition within European

management research of the use of a range of approaches

to inform the collection and analysis of qualitative data

(e.g., Knoblauch et al., 2005; Erikkson and Kovalainen,

2008), accompanied by evidence that European journals

are more favourable to qualitative research than their US

counterparts (Üsdiken, 2014). However, although there

has been extensive debate about the use of various

philosophical traditions in qualitative research (Prasad,

2005; Duberley et al., 2012), there has been relatively

little discussion about the comparative merits of different

data analytic strategies. There is considerable variety in

what can be characterised as qualitative research data.

Textual data can be produced from a number of sources,

for example interview or focus groups transcripts, but

can also be found in the public domain, for example

websites, company documents or blogs (Lee, 2012;

Holder-Webb et al., 2009; Cho and Huh, 2010). There is

also an increasinginterest in ways of analysing visual data

which is primarily qualitative (Bell and Davison, 2013;

Whiting et al., 2016).

The aim of this paper is to explore the processes and

outcomes of using three different forms of data analytic

processes to analyse the same set of data, therefore

drawing attention to the findings that are revealed by

different types of analysis; the alternative kinds of

research questions that can be addressed; and the

opportunities for theorising that might be enabled by a

given approach. It is not our intention here to give step-

by-step guidance to the use of these approaches. Rather,

our intention is to highlight some of the rich variety of

analytic techniques available to the qualitative

management researcher. Hence the contribution of the

paper to the Europeanmethodological literature is to offer

a novel, empirical account of the practical use of these

three approaches therefore seekingto enable the potential

expansion of the analytic toolkit of other qualitative

researchers and promote the use of a range of different

forms of qualitative data analysis.

Why is this issue important? As has been noted by a

number of writers (e.g., Welch et al., 2011; Cornelissen

et al., 2012; Cornelissen, 2017) there is an increasing

move within the management and organisational literature

to present formulaic approaches to qualitative research.

Indeed, some authors have suggested a link between the

prevalence of guidelines for good qualitative research

and the likelihood of increasingly formulaic research

designs (Symon et al., 2018). This trend towards

Correspondence: Catherine Cassell, Birmingham Business School,

Universityof Birmingham, EdgbastonPark Road, Birmingham B152TT,

UK, Tel: +44(0)121 414 8093. E-mail c.m.cassell@bham.ac.uk

European Management Review, Vol. 16, 195–207, (2019)

DOI: 10.1111/emre.12176

©2018 European Academy of Management