Contextualizing Influence Activities: An Objective Hermeneutical Approach
Lueger, Sandner, Meyer and Hammerschmid treat the objective hermeneutical approach, as a modality utilized for developing research papers, meant to develop the knowledge from a specific research area. The authors are utilizing this methodology for studying the influence as a modality of exercising power in different types of organizations.
Using the objective hermeneutical methodology, the authors appreciate that the researcher might have the capacity to influence their public through the research they undertake, as they apply specific tactics and strategies to serve their research purpose, which have general value (Lueger et al., 2005, p. 1146).
The authors specify the limitations of this view upon the objective hermeneutical methodology, referring to their diachronically and synchronically aspect. Hence, this methodology is limited in time, interrupting the continuous flow of action, and in also represents isolated episodes (Lueger et al., 2005, p. 1146).
There is identified a similarity between the hermeneutical methodology and the interpretative approach, based on the ability of researchers to find meaningful relations between the actors or the acts of the research, by interpreting them and empowering them with sociologic values (Lueger et al., 2005, p. 1147). Based on this vision, the authors found their study on the idea that a research depends on the social contexts that it is embedded in. In this case, their research is attributed with several methodological implications: research interest (analysis of the influence), strategy of analysis (comparative analysis), collection of data, interpretation and quality assurance (Lueger et al, 2005, pp 1149 - 1150).
The study further develops on analyzing situations of influence as they appear in different types of organizations. The authors examine how the employees are aiming to convince their superiors of their views, of their plans, in a trading company, a bank, or a public service organization.
The boss’s feedback reflect the organizational structure of the company that they represent. This is to say, the authors observe, the influence is a form of manifesting the position within a company, the hierarchical superiority, the authority gained because of the managerial function.
Nevertheless, in the public sector, the power of influence appears as the ability to set an agenda, to impose a plan, a strategy to conquer the others, to determine them to get closer to the promoted ideas by discretely applying the managerial role. This leadership style is the art of influencing the others without them knowing about this.
The objective hermeneutic approach is continued in Lueger et al.’s study about the power of influence. The authors study that in organizations the influence can take the form of formal or informal authority, being diverted on vertical or horizontal. However, they discuss also about the explicit power, which is the form of managing, of directing actually, which is not a form of influence, but solely a modality of exercising power.
Basing their argument on this vision of multiple forms of influencing, the authors conclude that the different forms of influence are perceived as normal in different organizational situations, and the actors are actually aware of the organizational style, of the communication form likely to predominate in that specific organization (vertical, horizontal, upward, lateral), or of the type of leadership (formal, informal) However, they perceive the normality as a double – sided sword, because it both authorizes the influence and it provides the needed space for the consensus, for approving the influence and accepting it (Lueger et al., 2005, p. 1160).
The authors combined the literature review with the practical data retrieved from the field study, in their research. This is actually a very good example of developing a research and it serves as a lesson to be learned. This strategy is effective because it allows the reader to immediately identify how the theoretic data are argued with practical evidence, which come as a support for the literature utilized in the study.
In developing this research, the authors addressed several research questions, which helped them structure and refine their study. As such, they addressed paraphrase, intention of interview, extensive interpretation, role distribution and the consequences for subsequent unit of meaning, as types of research questions.
For supporting the qualitative research, the authors could have also utilized other types of research questions that would have led to a more exhaustive interpretation of the results of their study. As such, the research questions could have included inquiries about the specific levels of the research and about the timeframe of the conducted study.
This would have offered them the occasion of discussing in detail about how the study was elaborated, what were the author’s contribution in each step of the research implementation and what outcome did they retrieve from each stage of planning and implementing of the research.
The approaches on the research design were mostly theoretical. They have discussed about the implications in the research design, elaborating on each one of them in relation to the objective hermeneutic methodology. However, they did not mention how the sampling procedure was established, what criteria led to the data collection.
In fact, the authors treat the data collection in a separate section in the appendix, which actually illustrates the stages of the interview process. They address in this section how were the samples treated, how were they administered the interview and what were the actions required from them. There is no clear indication about the dimension of the sample, of its representativeness, or any aspects about their demographics (age, gender, marital status, location, and so on).
Regardless of this aspect, the authors have prepared an in – depth data analysis, by mixing the theoretical data with the ones retrieved from the practical study that they applied in the form on the interview. Moreover, what gives a plus value to this study is the fact that it also includes a comparative analysis.
Because the study did not reflect on the samples’ representativeness, it does not include many figures or tabulation. There is included a table regarding the “Different Understanding of Influence”, meant to illustrate how different types of organizations perceive this form of exercising the institutional power. Other tables give more visibility upon the types of research questions addressed in the study (table 2 – Interpretation Scheme for Fine Analysis and table 3 – Interpretation Scheme for Sequential Analysis). There are no other tables or figures created in the study. The rhetoric tactics, on the other hand were very well developed throughout the paper and this contributed on elaborating and extending the meanings of the research.
The research design is somehow atypical for a research paper, as it does not focus on the visual aspects (there are not many graphical indications to support the facts mentioned in the research). Further discussing about weaknesses, the research paper lacks the sample representativeness and their distribution, failing to respond to a type of research question mentioned in the dedicated section (role distribution). On the other hand, the analysis that the authors provide is elaborated and is based on a fine intertwining of the practical data with the theoretical ones.
As lesson to be learned for developing a PhD thesis, this study serves as an example for combining the literature review with the practical data, for a more efficiency and for an increased power of arguing and sustaining the theory with practical evidence. Moreover, the comparative analysis and the use of the samples’ responses, other strong points of the analyzed study, are other lessons to be learned, and to be used in a PhD thesis.
Likewise, the elements that constituted weak points (the lack of visibility on samples, the absence of the visual representation – through graphics – of the theoretical and practical findings) are also lessons to be learned. As they were observed as missing, or barely treated, weakens the quality of the study. A lesson to be learned is that a PhD thesis needs these elements in order to effectively and powerfully address the topic of research.
References
Lueger, M., Sandner, K., Meyer, R., and Hammerschmid, G. 2005. Contextualizing influence activities: an objective hermeneutical approach, Organization Studies 26(8): 1145 – 1168.
