Lecture note on reflexivity: for MBA students
My query posted to generative AI: Highlight 4 main ideas on reflexivity and 3 practice advices in each
of the fields of (1) anthropology and (2) critical management science.
Here are the
main ideas and practice advice on reflexivity in anthropology
and critical management science, in a form you can use for dissertation notes.
Anthropology
4 main ideas
1. Reflexivity means examining how the anthropologist’s own beliefs, identity, and judgments shape the research process and findings.
2. The researcher is not neutral or outside the field; the researcher is part of the research relationship and influences what is observed and interpreted.
3. Reflexivity goes beyond ordinary reflection because it asks the researcher to examine the assumptions behind their own judgments, not just the data itself.
4. It also matters ethically, because awareness of positionality can improve trust, honesty, and respect in relationships with participants.
3 practice advices
· Keep a reflexive field journal and record your immediate reactions, assumptions, and emotional responses during fieldwork.
· Explicitly note your positionality, including how gender, ethnicity, age, class, or other identities may affect access and interpretation.
· Use reflexivity to improve the account, but avoid over-centering the self; the point is better understanding of the field, not methodological narcissism.
Critical management science
4 main ideas
1. Critical reflexivity means thinking about how your assumptions, values, and actions shape others and shape organizational reality.
2. It treats reality as socially constructed, so management knowledge is not purely objective or value-free.
3. It works at both the personal level and the structural level: self-reflection plus critique of practices, policies, and power relations in organizations.
4. It aims to support more collaborative, responsible, and ethical management rather than instrumental control.
3 practice advices
· Use journaling to examine how your decisions, language, and assumptions affect colleagues and organizational outcomes.
· Ask critical questions such as “for what and to whom are we accountable?” to reveal ethical and power issues in management practice.
· Reflect not only on your own behavior but also on the wider organizational systems, norms, and knowledge bases that shape what seems “normal.”
Compact contrast
Anthropology
usually emphasizes the researcher’s position in relation to field participants,
while critical management science more often extends reflexivity to
organizational power, leadership, and ethics. Both fields treat reflexivity as
a way to produce more honest, accountable, and context-sensitive knowledge.
My question posted to generative AI: How could these reflexivity advices in the fields of anthropology and critical management science be employed in the context of doing MBA dissertation projects? Or, are these advices also relevant to the MBA dissertation project works?
Yes — these reflexivity advices are directly
relevant to MBA dissertation projects, especially if your dissertation involves
qualitative research, interviews, case studies, ethnography, or practice-based
inquiry. In MBA work, reflexivity helps you show how your role, assumptions,
and access may shape the research, which strengthens methodological rigor and
credibility.
How to use them in
an MBA dissertation
·
From
anthropology, use reflexivity to examine your positionality:
why you chose the topic, how your workplace background affects access, and how
participants may see you as a student, manager, insider, or outsider.
·
From
critical management science, use reflexivity to question the organizational and ethical
implications of your study: whose interests your research
serves, what power relations are involved, and how your findings may affect
practice.
·
In
practical terms, keep a reflexive journal during proposal, data collection, and
analysis so you can track assumptions, decision points, and changes in your
thinking.
·
If
your dissertation is practice-based, reflexivity can help you bridge
“real-life” management problems and academic analysis, which is exactly the
tension highlighted in DBA and executive MBA contexts.
Why it matters for MBA work
These advices are
not only relevant; they are often useful for making an MBA dissertation more
defensible and more original. Reflexivity helps you avoid presenting your
findings as if they were purely objective when they were actually shaped by
your access, managerial experience, and interpretive choices.
A simple way to apply it
You could add a
short reflexivity section in your methodology chapter with three parts: your
background and relationship to the topic, how this may influence data
collection and interpretation, and what steps you took to manage bias or
partiality. This is especially appropriate for qualitative or mixed-method MBA
dissertations, but even quantitative projects can benefit from a brief
positionality note.
Example for an MBA project
If you are studying
employee engagement in your own organization, anthropology-style reflexivity
would ask how your insider status affects what people tell you, while critical
management reflexivity would ask how your role and the organization’s hierarchy
shape participation and interpretation. That combination makes your
dissertation more transparent and academically stronger.
My question posted to generative
AI: “Suggest 3 illustrative examples how
the reflexivity outcomes of an MBA student could be employed in the writing of
the MBA dissertation report chapter 5 (discussion of research findings).”
Here are 3
illustrative examples of how reflexivity outcomes can be used in Chapter
5 (Discussion of Research Findings) of an MBA dissertation:
Example 1: Explaining Consensus and
Disagreements Among Participants
Where in Chapter
5: Section 5.3
("Significance of Findings") — 5.3.1 Key Agreements and 5.3.2 Main
Areas of Disagreement
How reflexivity is
employed:
If your reflexive
journal reveals that you are an insider manager in the organization studied,
use that to explain why participants might agree on certain topics (e.g., trust
in management) but disagree on others (e.g., fairness of performance appraisal).
Example text:
"A key
finding was that 8 out of 10 interviewees agreed that leadership communication
had improved. Reflexivity shows that as an insider manager, I had access to
senior leaders who may have framed responses positively. This insider status
may have encouraged consensus on leadership-related topics. In contrast,
participants disagreed more strongly on performance appraisal fairness. My
reflexive notes suggest employees may have been more willing to express
criticism about systems they perceived as less directly tied to my role,
reducing the insider bias effect."
This shows how
your positionality shaped patterns of agreement/disagreement.
Example 2: Interpreting Findings That Confirm
or Contradict Literature
Where in Chapter
5: Section 5.4
("Comparison with Literature Review") — 5.4.1 Confirmation and 5.4.2
Contradictions
How reflexivity is
employed:
If your
reflexivity reveals strong prior beliefs about a management theory (e.g., you
initially believed empowerment always improves engagement), use this to
interpret why some findings confirm the literature while others contradict it.
Example text:
"The
literature strongly supports the link between employee empowerment and
engagement (e.g., Robinson & Smith, 2020). My findings confirm this for 70%
of participants but contradict it for senior managers, who reported no
significant change. Reflexively, I recognize that I entered this project with
strong beliefs about empowerment's benefits, possibly shaping how I framed
questions. My reflexive journal notes that I initially struggled to interpret
senior managers' scepticism. Re-reading transcripts with this awareness, I see
that senior managers faced different constraints (budget limits, regulatory
pressures) that empowerment alone could not address. This suggests the
literature's general claim may not apply equally across hierarchical
levels."
This uses
reflexivity to show how your assumptions were challenged and how you adjusted
your interpretation.
Example 3: Drawing Policy and Strategic
Implications with Awareness of Positionality
Where in Chapter
5: Section 5.5
("Policy and Strategic Implications") — 5.5.1 Recommendations and
5.5.2 Strategic Implications
How reflexivity is
employed:
If your
reflexivity reveals you have a vested interest in the organization's outcomes
(e.g., you're applying for a promotion related to the project), use this to
shape how you frame recommendations and acknowledge limitations.
Example text:
"Based on
findings, I recommend introducing structured career development pathways to
improve engagement. However, reflexivity requires acknowledging that as an
employee seeking advancement, I have a vested interest in recommendations that
support career progression. My reflexive notes from Week 8 show I initially
favoured more ambitious recommendations but tempered them after recognising
this bias. The recommendations are therefore framed to balance employee needs
with organisational constraints, and I suggest further validation through an
external consultant to reduce insider bias."
This demonstrates
critical management reflexivity by questioning whose interests your
recommendations serve and addressing power dynamics.
Summary Table: Where Reflexivity Appears in
Chapter 5
|
Reflexivity
outcome |
Chapter
5 section |
Purpose |
|
Insider/ outsider
positionality |
5.3 Agreements &
Disagreements |
Explain patterns in
participant responses |
|
Prior theoretical beliefs |
5.4 Comparison with
Literature |
Interpret
confirmations/contradictions with awareness of assumptions |
|
Vested interest in outcomes |
5.5 Policy & Strategic
Implications |
Frame recommendations
critically and acknowledge bias in recommendations |
Using reflexivity
in these ways makes your discussion more transparent, methodologically
rigorous, and credible for an MBA dissertation.
** A collection of lecture notes on the subject of research methods for MBA students, 2026 June
A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.
