Researching from the Inside: Epistemological Foundations and Methodological Requirements of the Practitioner-Researcher Stance in Management Science

Abstract

A growing number of managers and executives undertake doctoral research on their own organisation or sector. This dual stance of practitioner-researcher is often viewed with suspicion: it is criticised for a lack of distance, a risk of confirmation bias, and access to the field that is privileged but biased. This paper argues that intimate knowledge of the field can become an epistemological resource rather than a bias, provided that it is instrumented. It first reviews the debate between research from the inside and research from the outside. It then draws on four theoretical foundations: tacit knowledge, reflective practice, engaged scholarship and pragmatic constructivism. It identifies four critical moments of the dual stance (access, data collection, interpretation and reporting) and proposes a model of instrumented reflexivity that matches each moment with specific control mechanisms. An application to the banking sector illustrates the operational relevance of the model. The paper thus offers a framework for legitimising research conducted from the inside, useful to practitioner doctoral students, their supervisors and doctoral schools.