Managing data collection While it i

Managing data collection While it is tempting in a case study to go on collecting more data, thought has to be given to the opportunity costs and to the management of the data collected. Will a further interview or period of observation add significantly to what you already know? Does it allow you to be reasonably certain there is no disconfirming evidence in the organization? At some point you have to decide to stop collecting further data. I will not discuss in detail the recording of data because that is covered elsewhere. However, thought must be given to how you will record data and how you will prevent yourself being overwhelmed by the data. In many organizations, as an observer, tape-recording will be both impractical and inadvisable for a variety of reasons and it is likely that recording by notebook will be best. Impressions, insights and theoretical musings need to be noted, as well as observed and elicited data about the organization and its members. Unless you are a full participant observer, continual presence in the organization is unlikely to be beneficial. Considerable time needs to be given to writing up notes of interviews and observations and this needs to be done as soon as possible after the event. Some distancing from the organization is also advisable so the researcher is not overloaded with impressions and does not get so close to the data that he or she is unable to see their wider significance.