How to Gauge the Relevance of Codes in Qualitative Data Analysis? - A Technique Based on Information Retrieval

Qualitative research has experienced broad acceptance in the IS discipline. Despite the merits for exploring new phenomena, qualitative methods are criticized for their subjectivity when it comes to interpretation. Therefore, research mostly emphasized the development of criteria and guidelines for good practice. I present an approach to counteract the issue of credibility and traceability in qualitative data analysis and expand the repertoire of approaches used in IS research. I draw on an existing approach from the information science discipline and adapt it to analyze coded qualitative data. The developed approach is designed to answer questions about the specific relevance of codes and aims to support the researcher in detecting hidden information in the coded material. For this reason, the paper contributes to the IS methodology with bringing new insights to current methods by enhancing them with an approach from another discipline

The networking practices of women managers in an emerging economy setting: negotiating institutional and social barriers

Women managers face institutional and social barriers throughout their careers. In this research, we use networking and symbolic interactionism theories to explain how they network while negotiating these impediments in an emerging economy setting. Focus-group data revealed three themes. The women in our study, as predicted by networking theory, use networks to bolster career outcomes, although some also use non-influential networks or network ineffectively. Next, symbolic interactionism explains how expectations of, and personal reflections on, networking lead to a lack of confidence and feelings of guilt that can be career limiting. However, when women understand that their unique networking approach can be powerful, they gain social capital that enhances their leadership. Last, patriarchal cultures of emerging economy settings support stereotypical gender roles, leaving women conflicted between competition and mutual support, thus redefining the so-called Queen Bee phenomenon. We conclude by showing how women can use networking to enhance career and personal development