Introduction
Research and Organizations
The Research Process
Ethics in Organizational Research
Getting In: Seeking and Negotiating Access
Getting On: In the Organisation
Getting Out: Leaving the Field and Reporting Research in Organizations
Getting Back
Emerging Issues in Research in Organizations
Conclusions

Matthew Jones is a lecturer in Information Systems at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.  He previously held postdoctoral positions at the University of Reading and the University of Cambridge where he was involved in the development of computer-based models for public policy decision- making.  He has conducted research using a wide variety of different methods including laboratory experiments, computer simulations, interviews and participant observation and has undertaken fieldwork in organisations in a range of different industries including management consultancy, print and broadcast media, and the energy and healthcare sectors.

His research interests are concerned with the relationship between information systems and social and organisational change and he has written widely on theoretical and methodological issues in this area.  His work has been published in Accounting, Organizations and Society, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Communications of the ACM, Human Relations, Methods of Information in Medicine, MIS Quarterly and Organization Studies. He teaches qualitative research methods and research design to MPhil and PhD students in management and a course on researching organisations to graduate students in the social sciences.  

Although there are plenty of books that discuss the principles, the philosophy and the techniques of research in organisations, it is much harder to find information on what doing research in organisations actually involves in practice. Yet this is often one of the most challenging, but also most interesting, aspects of a study. Drawing on examples and debates from a broad range of disciplines (such as criminology, education and social anthropology as well management) Researching Organisations explores the issues that researchers may encounter when carrying out fieldwork in organisations. From getting in to an organisation at the start of the research to getting out and maybe back again at the end, the book offers systematic guidance to help researchers navigate the messy reality of fieldwork.

Researching Organisations is designed for graduate level researchers who may be undertaking fieldwork for the first time, but also for those who wish to gain an understanding of research practice.