What is it about?

This article describes and analyses an often neglected theme in organisational ethnographers: awkward encounters. Awkwardness, however, does matter and affects the ethnographic accounts we write and our understanding of social situations. The purpose of our article is to bring these hidden sides of organisational ethnography to the fore, to discuss the consequences of ignoring awkward encounters, and to improve our understanding of organisational realities.

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Why is it important?

By investigating awkward encounters, we show that these experiences have been left out for political (publishing culture in academia, unwritten rules of ethnography), as well as personal (feelings of failure, unwelcome self-revelations) reasons, while there is much to discover from these encounters. Un-paralyzing reflexivity means to include the awkward, the emotional, and admit the non-rational aspects of our ethnographic experiences; such inclusive reflexivity is incredibly insightful.

Perspectives

This paper was written on the basis of our own personal experiences; we do not dwell on these however, but try to use them to understand our field sites better.

Dr Juliette Koning
Oxford Brookes University

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This page is a summary of: Awkward encounters and ethnography, Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management An International Journal, May 2013, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/17465641311327496.
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