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A Conversation on Conversations
A Research Journey with Professor Anne Sigismund Huff
Sharon Kemp
Department of Management, University of Western Sydney
Abstract
Anne S Huff has a reputation that goes before her, for helping other academics, particularly in their endeavours to have their work published. I attended one of Anne's sessions on writing for scholarly publication and had my eyes opened to the traps a researcher can fall into; I was also made aware of ways to focus my effort to maximum effect. In the workshop sessions that Anne conducts she shares her successes but also acknowledges she too had difficulties in getting her research accepted for publication. I trusted that her advice was sound because she has been there and done that.
Some time after the workshop I felt the need to bring the conversations that we had during that workshop to a wider audience. I asked Anne if she would consent to an interview that would take readers along one of her research journeys. To my surprise Anne was more than delighted to do the interview and she found the idea of having the focus of our conversation on the process or research journey she undertook rather than the outcomes that are usually reported in journals quite novel. We agreed to meet at the EURAM 2005 conference which she co-organised.
Research is reported in a different way than it was first conceived. An interesting (but often undiscussed) aspect of research is the process or journey that is undertaken to reach the reported outcomes. Junior and senior staff alike can learn a great deal from understanding the research journey that eminent scholars have undertaken. In this conversation Professor Huff takes us along the research path she followed in several projects, especially work with Professor Louis Pondy between 1979 and 1986. Anne discusses how the research changed shape over time as well as detailing how and why the research came to an end. She gives us an insight into problems that resulted in deviations from an initial research plan. Through Anne's discussion of the research we discover how issues were handled and with the benefit of hindsight what aspects of the research she would change. Finally, Anne shares some general lessons for undertaking research.
References
Balagun J, Huff AS & Johnson P (2003) Three responses to the methodological challenges of studying strategizing. Journal of Management Studies 40(1): 197-224.
Huff AS (1984) Managerial implications of the emerging paradigm. In YS Lincoln (ed) Organization theory and inquiry: The paradigm revolution, 161-183, Sage.
Huff AS (1990) Mapping strategic thought. Chichester, England: Wiley.
Huff AS (1998) Writing for scholarly publication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Huff AS & Huff JO with Barr PS (2000) When firms change direction. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Huff AS & Jenkins M (eds) (2002) Mapping strategic knowledge. Chichester, England: Sage.
Huff AS & Pondy LR (1985) Achieving routine in organizational change. Journal of Management 1985 11, 2:103-116.
MB Miles and AM Huberman (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis. CA: Sage.
Simon HA (1976) Administrative behavior 3rd edition. New York: Free Press. (Originally published in 1947)
Schank RC (1990) Tell me a story: Narrative and Intelligence. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
Weick KE (1995) Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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