This article presents an ongoing reflexive account of us as three collaborating academics undertaking research and writing a journal article in the field of management and leadership. Influenced by collaborative autoethnography, it draws on narratives written at the time, recorded conversations, and letter exchanges between us as we prepare our work for submission to a journal. Through the process we show how the quality of research improves. We do this by paying attention to the contradictions between the rational expectation of how research should occur and the messiness of what actually happens—and how difficult this was for us to pay attention to. This was achieved during a reflexive process of coming to know and learn about each other in a way that shone a new light on ourselves. We share the benefits of engaging in challenging dialogue and reflection that maintains a level of unsettlement within our collaboration. The contribution of our article is to demonstrate our use of collaborative autoethnography as a reflexive heuristic to enhance research practice in a multiple perspective context. This has enabled validity in action by making explicit learning and knowledge of the peripheral goings on of the collaborative process that might normally go unnoticed.
Collaborative Autoethnography: Its Use and Revelations in Management and Leadership Research and Publishing
Rob Warwick is Professor of Management and Organisational Learning at the University of Chichester, UK. His current research focuses on leadership and organizational development as well as artful approaches in organizational life. He also runs a practice-based MBA supporting practitioners to develop their reflexive abilities using techniques such as action learning.
Janet McCray is a Professor Emerita of social care and workforce development and PhD supervisor at the University of Chichester, UK, where she uses autoethnography to explore professional leadership practice and narrative inquiry to examine the doctoral student experience. Her focus is on collaborative research, and her research is published in academic journals in the fields of health care, human resource management, and higher education.
Adam Palmer was until recently head of the Department of Responsible Management and Leadership at the University of Winchester Business School, UK. He has published his research in a wide range of management journals. He continues to be involved in the supervision of doctoral students and collaborative research.
Rob Warwick, Janet McCray, Adam Palmer; Collaborative Autoethnography: Its Use and Revelations in Management and Leadership Research and Publishing. Journal of Autoethnography 1 October 2021; 2 (4): 380–395. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/joae.2021.2.4.380
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