Challenges and Best‐practice Recommendations for Designing and Conducting Interviews with Elite Informants

Angelo M. Solarino and Herman Aguinis

Journal of Management Studies, 2021, vol. 58, issue 3, 649-672

Abstract: Elite informants (i.e., those in the upper echelon of organizations) are a key data source for building and testing theories in management research. We offer best‐practice recommendations to overcome challenges in designing and conducting interviews with elite informants (EIs) based on a comprehensive and multidisciplinary literature review and information provided by subject matter experts (i.e., authors of recently published articles that included EI interviews). Given unique characteristics of EIs and differences compared to interviewing non‐EIs, we provide recommendations on how to address challenges related to: (1) research design (e.g., what is the best order for the interviews?); (2) data collection (e.g., how can researchers access EIs? what is the best format for the interview? how can researchers obtain more honest responses?); and (3) reporting of results (i.e., what information should researchers report and to whom?). Finally, we offer suggestions for future EI research focusing on methodological issues.

Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12620

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:58:y:2021:i:3:p:649-672

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... s.asp?ref=00022-2380

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Management Studies is currently edited by Timothy Clark, Steven W. Floyd and Mike Wright

More articles in Journal of Management Studies from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().