Report R2.4 Research on the Effects of Information Technology on Alienation at Workplace Seminar Leader: Suneeta Mishra, FPM Scholar, XLRI-AHRD suneeta_mishra[at]hotmail.com Part 1 General Issues regarding doctoral level research in management were discussed. Narrowing down on an area of potential research is not an easy task. Many factors affect this process of selection. Prominent among them is one's work experience. Typically, problems encountered at the workplace coagulate into a few broad research questions. The process of further narrowing down these into researchable problems goes through iterations at many levels. Sometimes, new problems get identified and old ones are substantially modified as one goes along. The very process of going through this comparatively unstructured endeavor provides the researcher with an orientation that stresses academic discipline. Given the rigor needed for this, a full-time commitment to the program is recommended. Such an undivided involvement also ensures adequate interaction with the chosen Guide for the program. Ideally the Guide is someone who has carried out substantial studies in an area related to the research theme. Often a person's choice of the research problem enables him/her to narrow down to a few potential Guides. Part 2 The above process of reduction and selection was in evidence in the study under discussion that sought to analyze the effects of information technology on alienation at the workplace. The various meanings of alienation were defined and an appropriate subset was identified to be applicable for the study. The set of Internet technologies that enable collaboration at the workplace was another variable in the study. Human Resource Climate and Modern HR Practices were also similarly defined as intervening variables. The unit of analysis, the nature and scope of the research problem and various other factors determine the choice of method and tools. A set of alternative approaches and methods for answering the research questions (or exploring the research issues) should be considered and the most suitable one should be selected for implementation in the research project. Since no method is without its limitations, adequate care should be taken to ensure that the results are of an acceptable quality. Such issues are generally discussed under the label 'methodological considerations'. The study found that networked employees tend to be less alienated, suggesting a strong inverse interlink between connectivity and alienation at the workplace. Both traditional HR and Innovative HR efforts were also found to have a strong inverse relationship with the level of work alienation. There was some discussion on the process of hypothesis testing within research. Typically, null hypotheses are set up in such a way that they are expected to be rejected by the data collected. When a null hypothesis does not get rejected by the data collected, then the research is generally treated as inconclusive. The immediate practical application of such studies done in academic environments is an area of interest for many scholars. Researchers also typically suggest possible future directions for carrying forward their work. All these probably point to the fact that like most serious studies, a doctoral research never really comes to an absolutely conclusive end. Reported by Jacob D. Vakkayil, with inputs from D. P. Dash. Copyleft Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier Square, Bhubaneswar 751013, India Research World (ISSN 0974-2379) http://www1.ximb.ac.in/RW.nsf/pages/Home |
