Currently in organization communication doctoral research there is great difficulty in case studies. This situation occurs mainly because an adequate methodology is not known to solve them.
In traditional university academic training, the scientific method is still used, which although it may be effective in other disciplines, in organizational communication it is increasingly inadequate and obsolete. It should be understood that an organizational communicator cannot continue to approach his clients offering hypotheses or theories without first observing the organization to propose objectives and strategies that provide a solution to the needs of the company.
Case studies have traditionally been considered a weak research method lacking precision, objectivity and rigor, although there seems to be a turning point in this conception, so that it is increasingly considered as a valuable research tool. investigation.
The most important difference between the scientific method and the case study method is that the former is used to formulate a particular scientific theory. In the second, one starts from an objective to achieve a specific strategy as a final result.
A strategy has no other function than to achieve a forceful and orderly objective. The strategic objective allows concentrating resources, efforts and directing the decision-making of those who will be part of the exercise. This must be pursued at all costs and is characterized by being clear, concrete, measurable and punctual.
It is important before posing a case study that the student takes into account different important variables. One of the most elementary is time. A period must be established according to the estimated term for its presentation. On several occasions, case studies are presented that do not go beyond the theoretical because their initial approach required more than one year of experimentation and the student only had six months to carry them out.
Another important recommendation is that the student or whoever is preparing a research case study first carry out a study design or structure that contains the objectives of the study. It is convenient to establish before proceeding to determine if the research is aimed at prediction, interpretation of meanings, or a guide for action.
In the practice of the research study it is important to collect all kinds of data that are useful for the specific case that is being worked on.
The following is a comparison between the traditional scientific method and the manual that we propose here to solve and present a case study in an adequate and effective way. Later, two types of case study will be mentioned and finally the benefits and advantages of designing and applying a case study with a method other than the scientific one will be presented.
It is important to differentiate between two types of case study
The first is when there is already a case study on a certain topic and organization. So what is analyzed is a historical factor of the study. For example, determine how such an episode happened, why it happened, what caused it.
The second is from applied research. In this case study, characteristic elements of the organization are sought. Once the company has been described, one or more objectives are set, then tools are built to determine what is happening with the communication of that organization and establish a diagnosis to know how and why what is happening is happening. Then some priority findings must be found in order to refine the diagnosis and finally find a strategic proposal.
Advantages and benefits:
In the first place, it provides the student with more experience in the professional practical field because the method requires that the graduate be closer to the company.
Second, it provides the possibility for micro-enterprises to access a professional service offered by students. Surely in other circumstances it would be very difficult for them to pay for communication advice.
Another utility is that for doctoral students it would be of great academic benefit to have several well-conducted case studies to formulate and analyze reliable trends, theories, and statistics in organizational communication based on research cases carried out by different students.
Lastly, it would be more effective for teachers to give classes having a “case study bank” to build research references with students.
The teaching methodology would be more didactic and practical if teachers could have good research cases to work with students.
