Organisational case study
Explain a bounded organisational process
Organisational case studies investigate a bounded firm, team, project or decision process using evidence such as interviews, observations and records. Boundaries, embedded units and theoretical purpose must be explicit. Multiple-case designs support comparison, while intensive single cases can illuminate unusual or theoretically revealing processes. Yin, Stake and theory-building management traditions differ and should not be silently treated as interchangeable.
Choose when a business process must be understood in its real context and several sources can be accessed. Define the case and unit of analysis before accepting an organisation's preferred story as the question.
Strengths
- Connects organisational context with process detail
- Triangulates evidence beyond one managerial account
Limitations
- Access can privilege senior leaders' perspectives
- Case selection limits the scope of generalisation
Know the boundary
An interview with one company employee is not automatically an organisational case study.