An Investigation of the Relationship between Diversity

Networks and Job Satisfaction of Marginalised Social

Identity Groups in the UK Healthcare Sector

Word Count: 12,500 (+10%)

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

Master’s Degree (MSc) in Management with Human Resources

Adam Smith Business School

University of Glasgow

September 2020

3.0.Methodology

This chapter aims to provide the reader with a detailed description of how the research is conducted
to enable the author to answer the research questions defined in the previous chapter. Using the
layers of Saunders et al.’s research onion (2019), this chapter will first focus on the research design,
including the research philosophy, approach, method, and strategy. Then, the data collection and
analysis methods are discussed in further detail, while simultaneously highlighting the reliability and
validity, and hence, the possible limitations of the secondary data used.

3.1. Research Design

3.1.1. Research Philosophy

The research philosophy is concerned with the beliefs and assumptions about the development and
nature of knowledge (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2019), which is important to consider as this
dissertation attempts to develop new knowledge that closes the previously discussed research gap.
Two major paradigms that are widely used in business and management research, namely positivism
and interpretivism. The positivist paradigm assumes that reality is stable, objective and independent
of social construction (Kwadwo Antwi and Hamza, 2015). Hence, it promises unambiguous, accurate
and quantifiable knowledge gained through standardised empirical research methods that are
unaffected by human interpretation and free of human bias (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2019;
Henning, Van Rensburg and Smit, 2004). In contrast, the interpretivist paradigm critiques the
positivist approach of law-like generalisations that apply to everybody and rather assumes that
reality is socially constructed (Mutch, 2005) and thus, different people make meanings and create
and experience different social realities in different circumstances (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
2019). Consequently, the interpretivist paradigm adopts a relativist ontology and argues that a single
phenomenon may have multiple interpretations and therefore, the truth cannot be determined
simply through measurement (Levers, 2013).

This dissertation applies the interpretivist philosophy. Despite the difficulty of generalising research
findings across different contexts (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2011) and its subjective nature
(Mack, 2010), this philosophy allows for a deeper and richer understanding of the workplace reality
experienced by marginalised social identities in the NHS as opposed to taking a more general
perspective that would lose the richness and complexity of differences between individual
employees. Additionally, the chosen philosophy facilitates the understanding of how and why
diversity networks
may impact the job satisfaction of NHS employees, and therefore gives in-depth insights that enable
the author to efficiently answer the previously established research questions.

3.1.2. Research Approach

Deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning are the two main research approaches used in
academic research. While a deductive study develops and tests hypotheses that are formed on the
basis of existing theory in order to verify it in a specific context, an inductive study uses observations
in a specific context to find patterns that allow researchers to make a generalisation and generate a
new theory or conceptual framework (DeCarlo, 2018). Consistent with the interpretivist research
philosophy, this dissertation uses inductive reasoning as the research approach as it also accounts for
multiple realities and subjectivity of experiences (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2019). By using this
approach, this dissertation aims for the development of a new conceptual framework that visualises
the relationship between diversity networks and job satisfaction and can be tested outside of the
NHS research context. Despite basing new theoretical knowledge on the observations and data
obtained from a specific research context which may impair the reliability of conclusions in other
contexts, this approach is specifically chosen as academic research and theory focusing on diversity
networks remains very limited in the public and private sector. Therefore, an inductive research
approach allows for a deeper and fresh insight into the given research context which intends to
advance knowledge in this academic field.

3.1.3. Research Method and Strategy:

In general, most scholars use either a qualitative or quantitative research design when conducting
business research. According to Creswell (1994), a quantitative research design follows a positivist
research philosophy and uses numerical data and statistical procedures to investigate social
phenomena. Thus, it allows for a rapid data generation and the generalisation and comparison of
results across different contexts (Creswell, 1994). However, quantitative research disregards human
perception which cannot be meaningfully reduced to numerical data (Dudwick et al., 2006), and
therefore significantly lacks the ability to give a deep insight and explanation of why a certain
phenomenon occurred (Choy, 2014). In contrast, qualitative research attempts to investigate a social
phenomenon based on using words and meanings, and thus allows for the inclusion of different
perspectives and multiple realities experienced by people within the same context (Guest, Namey
and Mitchel, 2013). Despite the lack of objectivity and difficulties of generalising research outcomes,
Polit and Tatano Beck (2010) argue that the main goal for most qualitative studies is to provide a rich
and contextualised understanding of a particular event. Therefore, in line with the chosen research
philosophy and research approach, this dissertation will adopt a qualitative research design that
helps to answer the previously established research questions. This choice is further supported
through the established definition of job satisfaction as a positive emotional state resulting from an
individual’s evaluation of expected and actual job outcomes, thus, showing the subjective nature of
the concept because different employees may have different expectations.

Furthermore, this dissertation uses a multiple-case study as its research strategy as different diversity
networks in the NHS have been identified. As research on diversity networks is fairly limited, a
multiple- case study research strategy will allow for a broader and more comprehensive exploration
of this complex and little understood phenomenon in a real-life organisational context, compared to
a single- case study (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007).

3.2. Data Collection

3.2.1. Secondary Data

Business and management research studies mainly use either primary or secondary data (Saunders,
Lewis and Thornhill, 2019). While primary data refers to the data that is collected by a researcher
himself to address a specific research goal, secondary data refers to data that is originally collected
by other researchers for other purposes (Hox and Boeije, 2005; Boslaugh, 2007). For the purpose of
answering the research questions, this dissertation will be using secondary data due to restrictive
university policies and time and resource constraints. Despite its obvious limitation of originally being
gathered for other purposes, using this type of data enables the author to access a wider range of
secondary qualitative data sources that allow for a richer and deeper insight into this field of study.

3.2.2. Cases and Data Collection

As the NHS is a very large and complex institution which consists of many organisations covering
different healthcare departments, the selection of informative diversity network cases is important
to be able to address the established research questions. As this dissertation uses secondary data for
research, the purposive sampling method is applied which is widely used in qualitative research and
focuses on the identification and selection of information-rich cases related to the phenomenon of
interest for in-depth study and analysis (Fletcher and Plakoyiannaki, 2010; Palinkas, et al., 2015). A
total of eight single identity diversity network cases within the NHS have been chosen for the
purpose of this dissertation which either operates on a national or local level. In specific, two women
networks, two ethnic minority networks, two LGBTQ+ networks and two disability networks have
been chosen
for in-depth analysis purposes. Additionally, a multiple identity network is chosen that focuses on the
intersection of multiple identities of individual employees to examine how satisfaction levels differ
from single identity network participants. The diversity networks are briefly introduced below:

Table 1 – Brief Case Descriptions

Type of Diversity
Brief Description
Network
The first women’s network operates on a national level and is delivered by NHS
Confederation and NHS Employers. It is a free network that is open to women
Women Networks
working across health and care. The second network operates on a local level and
is a women’s leadership network.
Many different BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) networks have been
Ethnic Minority launched across the NHS. The two chosen BAME networks allow for a detailed
Networks understanding and insight into individual participant experiences. The networks
are organised locally in different NHS Trusts.

Both LGBTQ+ networks are organised locally in separate NHS Trusts. The
LGBTQ+ Networks networks are both officially recognised by the organisation, receive financial
support and are open to LGBTQ+ staff members as well as allies.

Qualitative data around disability networks remains rare in the NHS and mainly
focuses on highlighting key priorities and aims of individual networks. However,
two specific disability networks are chosen. The first network is organised locally
Disability within an NHS Trust, however, has gained national awareness because of their
Networks participation in the NHS ‘Disability Summit’ (high profile disability awareness
event) in 2019. The second network is also organised locally in a different NHS
Trust. Both networks focus on visible as well as invisible disabilities and are open
to disabled employees, employees with disabled relatives and allies.

Multi Identity This network was established for ethnic minority women in digital health. It is the
Network first of its kind within the NHS and was launched in July 2019.

The author has created nine composite case studies that use detailed fragments of information from
various sources, including podcasts, official social media accounts (e.g. Twitter), YouTube,
organisation’s websites and newspaper or magazine articles. As the focus of this dissertation is on
the relationship of diversity networks and job satisfaction of nonmajority healthcare employees,
network members’ personal stories with reference to their network participation are specifically
considered in this research, illustrated by the provision of quotes.
3.3. Data Validation and Trustworthiness

To increase validity of the secondary data, a data triangulation strategy which uses multiple data
sources (i.e. newspaper, websites, etc.) was adopted (Carter, et al., 2014; Thyer, 2009). This allowed
the author to create multiple composite case studies and to verify whether data from different
sources supported each other which ultimately resulted in increased confidence in research results
and conclusions. Additionally, to assess the data’s trustworthiness, Guba’s and Lincoln’s
trustworthiness criteria has been used:

Table 2 – Guba’s and Lincoln’s Data Trustworthiness Criteria

Criteria Explanation
Despite the potential limitations of trustworthiness with regards to specific data
sources (e.g. outdated data collected from podcasts or newspapers), an element
of truth can be found in the research findings due to the use of source
triangulation as explained above. Credibility is further enhanced through
Credibility
including interview transcripts and face-to-face interviews with participants (i.e.
via YouTube). Additionally, purposive sampling has been used to enhance
credibility of research findings through selecting information-rich cases that
provide a deep insight into the studied phenomenon.

Due to the unique research context (i.e. healthcare sector) and the use of
qualitative secondary data, the generalisation of results may be difficult across
Transferability other research contexts. Therefore, through creating a conceptual framework
based on research findings, transferability of results can be tested in future
research studies.

Through the detailed description of data collection and data analysis methods
used in this qualitative research, the author has established a significant degree
of transparency in this study which enhances the generation of consistent
Dependability and
findings from collected secondary data. However, the adoption of an
Confirmability
interpretivist research philosophy and the manual thematic analysis of
secondary data may affect the dependability and confirmability, and therefore
the reliability of research findings due to potential human bias in the data
analysis.

Furthermore, it has to be acknowledged that the secondary data chosen for this study (i.e.
newspaper, interviews, reports) has a subjective element by primarily reflecting the view of network
participants that are highly engaged in the activities and management of the diversity networks.
Therefore, the secondary data may predominantly show positive experiences of network
participation, which impacts the overall credibility of the research findings as these may not be
representative for all network
members. However, this study is still relevant due to diversity networks not only providing individual
benefits but also group-level benefits that positively impact members across the entire network.

The above acknowledgement of data limitations, in specific the limitations concerned with individual
secondary data sources, will impact the reliability of research findings. However, the gathered data is
still found to be suitable for the purposes of this study due to allowing for an in-depth insight into the
yet unexplored research topic.

3.4. Data Analysis

Applying a multiple-case research strategy allows for the collection of extensive and complex raw
qualitative data. Data analysis in a qualitative research study involves transforming the collected raw
data into meaningful information that increases the understanding of the chosen social phenomenon
(Wong, 2008). Further, this is found to predominately involve the processes of coding and
categorising (Patton, 2002). Therefore, this dissertation is using thematic analysis which enables the
identification of key themes and categories relevant to this study. However, as the previous chapter
defines job satisfaction as consisting of an affective and cognitive component, the author decided
that the use of sentiment analysis is also appropriate to enable the detection of emotions in the
collected data which directly addresses the affective component of the concept of interest.

Thematic Analysis is a widely used qualitative data analysis method that allows for the identification,
analysis and reporting of key themes and patterns in a qualitative data set (Braun and Clarke, 2006).
Whereas sentiment analysis is used to analyse and understand emotions from text patterns to
identify the opinion and attitude that a person has towards a specific topic or object (Mouthami, Devi
and Bhaskaran, 2013). As this research applies an inductive research approach, the results of the
thematic and sentiment analyses will be used to address the previously establish research questions.
This enables the author to develop a conceptual framework that highlights the relationship between
diversity networks and job satisfaction based on the findings within the healthcare context.

3.4.1. Process of Thematic and Sentiment Analysis

For the purpose of this study and specifically to ensure the appropriate application of the thematic
data analysis method, the framework identified by Braun and Clark (2006) will be followed, as this is
argued to be the most influential approach to thematic analysis (Maguire and Delahunt, 2017).
 Table 3 – Data Analysis Process (Thematic and Sentiment Analysis)

Steps Description
The qualitative data (i.e. articles, tweets, podcasts, etc.) are read/listened and
Step 1
re-read/re-listened to familiarise and understand the meaning of the data.
Data Familiarisation
Obvious patterns and initial thoughts are recorded.
Step 2
Key features of the data are recorded and systematically encoded and
Initial Code
rearranged across the entire data set.
Generation
Step 3 It is likely that a large number of codes are established, therefore, the codes
Search for Themes are collated into potential themes across the data set.
The themes are reviewed to ensure that there is a robust set of themes that
Step 4 are clear and significant for further analysis. It is possible that themes need to
Review of Themes be broken down into separate themes or not enough data is collected to
support
certain themes.
Step 5
Further enhance identified themes through providing clear names and working
Defining and
definitions of each theme that concisely capture the essence of each theme.
Naming Themes
The raw data, specifically participant interviews, are revisited and analysed
Step 6
through identifying positive, negative and neutral sentiments that help the
Sentiment
author to examine the opinions and emotions of members with regards to
Recording
their
network participation.

Step 7 The results of the thematic analysis are presented. In specific, compelling
Analysis of Results extract examples are selected and further analysed to give a deeper insight
and Addressing into the themes and identified sentiments. To ensure validity of the data
Research Questions analysis, the analysis is related back to the research questions and empirical
literature.

3.5. Conclusion

In conclusion, this chapter addresses the entire qualitative research process and closely follows
the individual layers of Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill’s research onion (2009). Consistent with
qualitative research, an intepretivist research philosophy and an inductive research approach was
selected. Furthermore, a multiple-case research strategy was chosen to address multiple diversity
networks simultaneously. A total of nine cases were composed through integrating detailed
fragments of secondary information from various sources (e.g. podcast, etc.). Then, the validity
and trustworthiness of the collected data was discussed. The raw qualitative data is then coded
and analysed using thematic analysis. Due to the structure of job satisfaction (i.e. affective and
cognitive component), the thematic analysis was further supported by sentiment analysis. The
next chapter will present the findings and analysis of this qualitative research using the outlined
methodology.