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Lessons from the Trenches: Managing Relationships to Conduct Rigorous and Impactful Field Research
Abstract   Open access

Lessons from the Trenches: Managing Relationships to Conduct Rigorous and Impactful Field Research

Susan Zhu, Sijun Kim, John R. Hollenbeck, Elizabeth McClean, Yifan Song and Greg L. Stewart
Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, Vol.2026(1)
07/2026
DOI: 10.5465/AMPROC.2026.14111symposium
url
https://doi.org/10.5465/AMPROC.2026.14111symposiumView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Field research is essential for advancing organizational science, but it has become increasingly difficult to execute as organizational access becomes more restricted and scholarly expectations for rigor and transparency continue to rise. Navigating these challenges requires researchers to manage relationships effectively with external organizational partners as well as internal research teams and home institutions (e.g., negotiating trade-offs between design and feasibility, clarifying roles). How to manage these relationships successfully often remains a "black box" because the relational aspects of field research are tacit knowledge typically acquired through extensive field experience but rarely shared systematically. This panel symposium brings together a group of prolific researchers with substantial expertise conducting rigorous and impactful field research. They will share lessons from both successful and unsuccessful projects and offer practical strategies for relationship management across all stages of field research, making this tacit knowledge more accessible to the broader management community.

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