11575: Lessons Learned Off the Beaten Path: Managing Vulnerability When Studying Unconventional Contexts

Finalist for the OMT Division Best Symposium Award

It is increasingly popular to conduct qualitative studies in so-called "unconventional", "atypical", or "extreme" contexts. Such contexts provide unique opportunities for theorizing and making a real-world impact. Yet unconventional studies are also daunting since most management research training does not prepare scholars for the unique challenges they may encounter. There is often no single boilerplate, exemplar, or sage advisor to help manage the tensions experienced, leaving scholars to figure things out on their own. This symposium, part of a multi-year series of AOM events on doing research in unconventional contexts, aims to create a community of qualitative scholars who support each other in overcoming the hurdles associated with unconventional context research. This year, the focus will be on the dynamics of vulnerability in unconventional contexts. By venturing into contexts not often studied, both the researchers and the participants become vulnerable to each other - on material as well as emotional dimensions. Such vulnerability can be a strength of the research, but also raises practical, safety, and ethical concerns. In this symposium, we bring together a panel of researchers doing work in unconventional contexts who will share their experiences of vulnerability in the field, reflecting on the challenges they encountered, and how they were able to overcome them. In doing so, we hope to stimulate learning and inquiry to guide doctoral students, junior faculty, and/or those who are new to this arena, creating a community of scholars who do their work "off the beaten path".