Doing ethnography in a paranoid organization: An autoethnographic account
(2015) In Journal of Organizational Ethnography 4(2). p.162-176- Abstract
- Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what we can learn from an autoethnographical
approach about public administration. In this context it presents and discusses the advantages and
disadvantages of autoethnography.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a case study of E-rail, a European national
rail service subject to extensive negative press coverage. The autoethnographic accounts, based
on interviews, observations, phone calls, e-mails, and other informal interactions with the organizational
members, highlight the researcher’s entry to and exit of the organization.
Findings – The paper mobilizes fieldwork access negotiation and trust building with... (More) - Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what we can learn from an autoethnographical
approach about public administration. In this context it presents and discusses the advantages and
disadvantages of autoethnography.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a case study of E-rail, a European national
rail service subject to extensive negative press coverage. The autoethnographic accounts, based
on interviews, observations, phone calls, e-mails, and other informal interactions with the organizational
members, highlight the researcher’s entry to and exit of the organization.
Findings – The paper mobilizes fieldwork access negotiation and trust building with participants as
empirical material in its own right, arguing that challenges involving “being in the field” should be
explored to provide new types of knowledge about the organizational phenomenon under study – in
this case the rise of organizational paranoia.
Originality/value – This paper uses autoethnography, which is rare in public administration studies,
and discusses the distinct features of autoethnography as an ethnographic approach to public
organizations. It argues that autoethnographic accounts of fieldwork relationship highlight
and challenge the boundaries of the kind of research questions we might ask – and the kind of
answers we might provide – about public administration. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/8194870
- author
- Frandsen, Sanne LU
- publishing date
- 2015
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Ticket inspectors, Public administration, Paranoia, Organizational ethnography, Autoethnography
- in
- Journal of Organizational Ethnography
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 162 - 176
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84958523166
- ISSN
- 2046-6749
- DOI
- 10.1108/JOE-07-2014-0020
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 28465fa8-13be-4f1f-9dfe-c5f012cc06d0 (old id 8194870)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 09:54:23
- date last changed
- 2022-04-19 20:41:36
@article{28465fa8-13be-4f1f-9dfe-c5f012cc06d0,
abstract = {{Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what we can learn from an autoethnographical<br/><br>
approach about public administration. In this context it presents and discusses the advantages and<br/><br>
disadvantages of autoethnography.<br/><br>
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a case study of E-rail, a European national<br/><br>
rail service subject to extensive negative press coverage. The autoethnographic accounts, based<br/><br>
on interviews, observations, phone calls, e-mails, and other informal interactions with the organizational<br/><br>
members, highlight the researcher’s entry to and exit of the organization.<br/><br>
Findings – The paper mobilizes fieldwork access negotiation and trust building with participants as<br/><br>
empirical material in its own right, arguing that challenges involving “being in the field” should be<br/><br>
explored to provide new types of knowledge about the organizational phenomenon under study – in<br/><br>
this case the rise of organizational paranoia.<br/><br>
Originality/value – This paper uses autoethnography, which is rare in public administration studies,<br/><br>
and discusses the distinct features of autoethnography as an ethnographic approach to public<br/><br>
organizations. It argues that autoethnographic accounts of fieldwork relationship highlight<br/><br>
and challenge the boundaries of the kind of research questions we might ask – and the kind of<br/><br>
answers we might provide – about public administration.}},
author = {{Frandsen, Sanne}},
issn = {{2046-6749}},
keywords = {{Ticket inspectors; Public administration; Paranoia; Organizational ethnography; Autoethnography}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{162--176}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{Journal of Organizational Ethnography}},
title = {{Doing ethnography in a paranoid organization: An autoethnographic account}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JOE-07-2014-0020}},
doi = {{10.1108/JOE-07-2014-0020}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2015}},
}