Qualitative Methodology and Grounded Theory in Property Research

When timing is key: How autocratic and democratic leadership relate to follower trust in emergency contexts

In emergency contexts, leaders’ ability to develop others’ trust in them is critical to leadership effectiveness. By integrating functional leadership and team process theories, we argue that democratic and autocratic leadership can create trust in the leader depending on the performance phase of the action team. We further argue that action and transition phases produce different task demands for leadership behavior to enhance trust in the leader, and different leader characteristics (i.e., leader benevolence and leader ability) mediate these effects. The results of a scenario experiment (N = 125) and field survey (N = 165) among firefighters revealed that autocratic rather than democratic leadership elevates trust in the leader during the action phase by increasing leader ability. In contrast, democratic rather than autocratic leadership enhances trust in the leader during the transition phase by elevating leader benevolence. These findings highlight the importance of leader characteristics in emergencies, demonstrating the value of mixing autocratic and democratic leadership behaviors across different team performance phases to build trust in the leader.

Facilitated transition in HIV drug trial closure: A conceptual model for HIV post-trial care

Within the HIV clinical trial field, there are gaps in existing ethical regulations in relation to post-trial care. There is need to develop post-trial care guidelines that are flexible and sensitive to local contexts and to the specific needs of different groups of participants, particularly in low income contexts. Evidence regarding HIV trial closure and post-trial care is required to underpin the development of appropriate policies in this area. This article reports research from Uganda that develops a new model of 'Facilitated Transition' to conceptualize the transition process of HIV positive trial participants from 'research' to 'usual care' health facilities after trial conclusion. This was a qualitative grounded theory study that included 21 adult HIV positive post-trial participants and 22 research staff, undertaken between October 2014 and August 2015. The findings showed that trial closure is a complex process for HIV positive participants which includes three phases: the pre-closure, trial-closure, and post-trial phases. The model highlights a range of different needs of research participants and suggests specific and person-centred interventions that can be delivered at different phases with the aim of improving health outcomes and experiences for trial participants in low income settings during trial closure. Further research needs to be done to verify the model in other contexts and for other conditions.

Is property management viewed as a value-added service?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of real estate executives to assess the extent to which property management is viewed as a commodity or as a value-added professional service contributing positively to investment performance and property value maximization.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative analysis draws on the result of 93 semi-structured interviews conducted with executives employed by some of the largest real estate investment management and service firms across the USA.

Findings

The findings suggest that significant perceptual cleavages exist in the real estate industry, with some executives believing property managers are incredibly important to the value creation process and others believing they play a much more modest role.

Practical implications

The results highlight the need for the property management industry as whole to continue its efforts to gain recognition as a value-added professional service and for individual property management companies to actively take steps to differentiate themselves from competitors if they hope to avoid commodification and fee compression.

Originality/value

The study is the first to the authors’ knowledge to examine real estate executives’ perspectives about the roles property managers play in the value creation process, as well as their views about whether property managers have the skills and autonomy required to make value accretive decisions.

Property investment decision making by Australian unlisted property funds

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the property investment decision-making process of Australian unlisted property funds.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on previous research into property investment decision making by Australian REITs, a normative model of the unlisted property fund investment decision-making process is proposed. Based on exploratory investigation through semi-structured interviews with senior Australian unlisted property fund decision makers, a descriptive model of the property investment decision-making process by Australian unlisted property funds is developed. The normative model and descriptive model are compared and a prescriptive model of the Australian unlisted property fund investment decision-making process proposed.

Findings

A four-stage, 20-step process proposed in the normative model was found to be generally supported by the descriptive model developed, potentially comprising a possible prescriptive model for the Australian unlisted property fund investment decision-making process.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is required to investigate risk-return issues, whether the prescriptive model is generalisable across other property investment decision-making groups or over time and whether it may lead to “good” decisions.

Practical implications

The prescriptive model proposed may contribute consistency and transparency to the decision-making process, if adopted by Australian unlisted property funds, potentially leading to better decisions.

Social implications

Greater consistency and transparency in property investment decision making by Australian unlisted property funds may lead to the optimal allocation of capital and greater investor confidence in the sector.

Originality/value

The findings comprise the first possible prescriptive model of the Australian unlisted property fund investment decision-making process, forming a basis for comparative investigation of that process adopted by other property investment decision-making groups such as Australian REITs and Australian retail property funds.

How do People Make Sense of Unfamiliar Visualizations?: A Grounded Model of Novice's Information Visualization Sensemaking

In this paper, we would like to investigate how people make sense of unfamiliar information visualizations. In order to achieve the research goal, we conducted a qualitative study by observing 13 participants when they endeavored to make sense of three unfamiliar visualizations (i.e., a parallel-coordinates plot, a chord diagram, and a treemap) that they encountered for the first time. We collected data including audio/video record of think-aloud sessions and semi-structured interview; and analyzed the data using the grounded theory method. The primary result of this study is a grounded model of NOvice's information Vlsualization Sensemaking (NOVIS model), which consists of the five major cognitive activities: 1 encountering visualization, 2 constructing a frame, 3 exploring visualization, 4 questioning the frame, and 5 floundering on visualization. We introduce the NOVIS model by explaining the five activities with representative quotes from our participants. We also explore the dynamics in the model. Lastly, we compare with other existing models and share further research directions that arose from our observations.

Workspace design and fit-out: what knowledge workers value

Purpose

– Organisations use “space” to support the profitability of their business. The workplace and the space that organisations occupy is continuously evolving and transforming. There has been a general trend globally to provide less assigned space and more shared space for employees at higher occupational density. Studies have shown that the workplace setting can contribute to an employee's sense of well-being and increased productivity. The purpose of this paper is to permit a deeper understanding as to how knowledge workers evaluate their workspace within this changing environment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper describes an integrated conceptual framework developed from a range of literature within the disciplines of property, psychology and facilities management. In order to investigate the pertinence of this framework a case study is undertaken comprising five one-to-one in-depth interviews with knowledge workers from an organisation that had recently relocated. The key changes between the original and newer premises in terms of space usage were the move from a more traditional layout incorporating larger desk space and eye-level partitioning to one incorporating a fit-out providing for a higher occupational density and a wider range of communal spaces.

Findings

– The findings identify a number of evaluative criteria including workability, comfort, occupational density, the need for privacy, control over the environment, adjacency to colleagues and functionality, all previously identified in the literature. A further two criteria, location and customisability were also identified.

Research limitations/implications

– The study although incorporating a wide ranging literature review concentrates on employees within one company and given the makeup of employees the interviewees were all male thus not able to pick up gender differences.

Practical implications

– The study provides stakeholders such as organisations, workplace consultants and design professionals with information about what knowledge workers value most in their workplace environment.

Originality/value

– Most extant literature investigating the link between employees and their workplace has focused on specific aspects of the relationship. This research contributes to understanding workplace by taking an overall perspective and providing knowledge worker employees with an opportunity to compare two distinct workplace settings.

Management challenges and responses

Purpose

– Efforts to understand the nature of the demanding world of property managers have tended to focus on quantitative inquiry in areas such as property management portfolio decision making, without much study of their lived experiences (Levy, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to understand the management challenges and responses of Jamaican property managers in managing the property management organization and real estate assets.

Design/methodology/approach

– Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data to explore the nature of the management challenges and responses to them by property managers. Using the case study approach, property managers from eight of Jamaica's largest property management companies, accounting for a large share of the formal commercial and residential property management activity, were profiled. The collected data were then analyzed and the results presented.

Findings

– The research results provided support for the assertions that the nature of management challenges and responses reflected the nature or composition of property management portfolios or customers served; the professional success of these property managers was linked to their managerial innovativeness and team orientation; and that property managers utilized work demands and adversities as positive motivators.

Originality/value

– Responding to the paucity of qualitative research in the field of property management in small, open economies such as Jamaica, this paper employs the qualitative research paradigm to provide insights into the nature of management challenges experienced by property managers and their responses to those challenges. Review of the literature has unearthed no similar study.

Reassessing Software Quality Performance

Software quality has always been described as a poorly developed construct. Several reports and much evidence show clear problems related to software quality. This research empirically tests if ineffective implementation of knowledge management activities would be a reason behind possible existence of defective quality performance in the software industry. The main finding shows that knowledge management would directly affect quality performance in the Egyptian software industry. Statistical correlation is significant between the two constructs; knowledge management and quality performance.