Theory and Philosophical Orientations Part 1

An area of interest for a possible research topic that I consider is organizational performance. My topic of research interest is the effect of employee participation on organizational performance. The philosophical orientation that mirrors my worldview is the interpretivist research paradigm. In-depth inquiry is enabled by interpretivist research, which sees knowledge as subjective (Bryman, 2008). In other words, knowledge is not generalizable – it is contextual, situational, or circumstantial. This means that different individuals interpret their world differently. To ensure in-depth inquiry, interpretivist research focuses on a small sample and employs qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, and observations. Such techniques enable the researcher to cultivate a closer relationship with the subjects (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2015). A close relationship gives the researcher an opportunity to understand the perspectives, experiences, and worldviews of the subjects with respect to the research phenomenon (Creswell, 2014).

Taking into consideration that this is qualitative research, it is imperative to comprehend the significance of beliefs and theories that informs my work. The philosophical assumption of this particular research study is ontological,...

That is, this research is in relation to the nature of reality and its characteristics. That is, the researcher espouses the notion of multiple actualities and reports on these manifold realities through the exploration of the multiple forms of evidence from the varying perspectives and experiences of individuals. Furthermore, this will be centered on social constructivism, which takes into account the understanding of the world in which we live and work. In this regard multiple meanings are developed and as a researcher, I will look at and examine the complexity of viewpoints and perspectives. Therefore, taking into consideration the research topic at hand, I will ask broad general open-ended questions, and lay emphasis on the procedures and practices of interaction (Creswell, 2012).
Part 2

Theory can be delineated as an assumption or a system of ideas that are purposed to explain a certain thing such as phenomena, on the basis of general principles independent of that particular thing to be elucidated. In other words, theory can be deemed to be a framework for observation and comprehension, which fashions both what we perceive and the manner in which we perceive it. Theory permits the researcher to make correlations between what is theoretical and what is practical, what is abstract and what…