Master’s Series on Field Research
Interview with Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld
Senior Associate Dean for Executive Programs & Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management
Introduction
Peter Blanck interviews Jeffrey Sonnenfeld about his work as a field researcher. Sonnenfeld describes what field research is, the famous Hawthorne studies, site selection and access issues, and how a field researcher establishes trust in the field. An interesting story of how Sonnenfeld gained both access and the necessary trust of an initially hostile company to his research is given. After the story, Sonnenfeld goes on to discuss research methodologies, recording data, interview techniques, use of questionnaires in field research, and the importance of field research in testing theories. The interview concludes with Sonnenfeld talking about how to develop good observational techniques and what he finds most satisfying about his work as a field researcher.
Transcript File
Interview with Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld| Transcript (Text file)