Human resource management as a field of research is a broad church, with a wide variety of research methods in use. They begin with the importance of good project design and then move on to reflect on innovations and developments in data sources, such as netnographical methods, legal research methods, the use of news media, and historical research.

Contents: 1. Qualitative Research in HRM: Innovation Over Stagnation Keith Townsend, Rebecca Loudoun and David Lewin SECTION I DESIGNING QUALITATIVE PROJECTS 2. The Role of Qualitative Methods in Mixed Methods Designs Roslyn Cameron 3. Anchoring Qualitative Methods for Longitudinal Studies Rebecca Loudoun and Keith Townsend 4. Autoethnography: A Novel Way to Study HRM Sally Sambrook SECTION II INNOVATIONS IN DATA SOURCES 5. Using Legal Research Methods in Human Resource Management Research Richard Johnstone 6. The Use of News Media as a Data Source in HRM Research: Exploring Society’s Perceptions Sheryl Ramsay, Sara Branch and Jacqueline Ewart 7. Netnographical Methods and the Challenge of Researching Hidden and Secretive Employee Social Media Practices James Richards 8. Doing Historical Research in Human Resource Management: With Some Reflections on an Academic Career Peter Ackers 9. Thinking About Philosophical Methods in Human Resources Kerrie L. Unsworth and Matthew T. Hardin SECTION III INNOVATIONS IN DATA COLLECTION METHODS 10. An Experiment With ‘The Miracle Question’: An Innovative Data Collection Technique in HR Research Keith Townsend 11. Using Photo-Elicitation to Understand Experiences of Work-Life Balance Catherine Cassell, Fatima Malik and Laura Radcliffe 12. Using Qualitative Repertory Grid Interviews to Gather Shared Perspectives in a Sequential Mixed Methods Research Design Céline Rojon, Mark N.K. Saunders and Almuth Mcdowall 13. Free Verbal Associations – Measuring What People Think About Employee Participation Werner Nienhueser 14. Using Qualitative Diaries to Uncover the Complexities of Daily Experiences Laura S. Radcliffe 15. Autoethnographic Vignettes in HRM Mark Learmonth and Michael Humphreys SECTION IV INNOVATIVE DATA ANALYSIS 16. Computer Supported Qualitative Research Julie Cogin and Ju Li Ng 17. Cross-Cultural HRM Research: The Potential of Causal Cognitive Mapping Gail Clarkson 18. Deriving Behavioural Role Descriptions from the Perspectives of Job- Holders: An Illustrative Example Richard Winter Index

'The editors of this compelling volume insist that contemporary HRM scholarship can be as profound and enduring as the classics in the study of work. A revamped vision of qualitative research, aiming to be ''innovative and timeless'', should drive this agenda. The book urges researchers to draw on older disciplines - history, philosophy, psychology, law, ethnography - in new ways and points to the promise of novel methods, from photo-elicitation to cognitive mapping, which could drive HRM research. This is a call to do new things now and old things differently.' --Bradon Ellem, University of Sydney, Australia'Townsend, Loudoun and Lewin have compiled a solid and insightful resource that engages in some very interesting qualitative research methodologies. The contributors assembled in this volume remind us that there is so much more to business and management research than the narrow positivist approaches favoured in many prescriptive business schools. Studies of the world of work and HRM will be much better from consulting this volume.' --Tony Dundon, University of Manchester, UK'This Handbook provides a much-needed fresh perspective on qualitative research methods. The editors and contributors to the book present convincing evidence that qualitative research can be both innovative and timeless when it is well designed and executed. The Handbook reminds us that recent technological developments, from mobile phones to transcription software, facilitate a much wider range of data collection than previously existed. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods can be a powerful source of progress in the social sciences. This Handbook is an essential reference for anyone undertaking qualitative research in HRM and will be an inspiration for current and future researchers.' --Russell Lansbury, The University of Sydney Business School, Australia