A structured and organized note on how a researcher positionality influence an MBA dissertation project work

A structured and organized note on how a researcher positionality influence an MBA dissertation project work

I am a part-time MBA student, currently learning to conduct my dissertation project work. I have a query about the topic of researcher positionality. Could you clarify how a researcher positionality could influence: (1) the formulation of research objectives, (2) the formulation of research methodology and (3) the literature review priority. Try to conduct your discussion in terms of 3 major aspects of a researcher positionality, so that I can follow the discussion in a more structured and organized mode.

Researcher positionality can shape a dissertation at three levels: what you decide to study, how you decide to study it, and what you treat as important in the literature. A useful way to organize it is through three major aspects of positionality: your epistemological position, your ontological and value position, and your social/professional location.

1) Epistemological position

This is your view of what counts as knowledge and how knowledge should be produced. If you lean toward a constructivist or interpretivist stance, you are more likely to frame research objectives around understanding meaning, experience, or perception; if you lean toward a more positivist stance, you may prefer objectives focused on measurement, relationships, and testing hypotheses.

This position also affects methodology because it influences whether you choose interviews, case studies, or ethnography versus surveys, experiments, or statistical modelling. In other words, your idea of knowledge often drives your choice of method and even how you justify it in the methodology chapter.

For the literature review, epistemology affects what kind of studies you treat as most credible. For example, an interpretivist researcher may prioritize qualitative studies and theory-building work, while a more positivist researcher may prioritize empirical studies with measurable variables and clearer causal claims.

2) Ontological and value position

This refers to your view of what reality is like and what you believe is worth studying. If you see social reality as complex, multiple, and context-dependent, your objectives will likely focus on depth, variation, and local meaning; if you see reality as more stable and generalizable, you may aim for broader explanation and prediction.

This position shapes methodology by guiding whether you seek rich context or standardized comparison. A researcher who values context may design a flexible, emergent methodology, while a researcher who values comparability may prefer a structured design with controlled variables and consistent instruments.

In the literature review, your values affect which themes you foreground. For instance, if you value practical relevance, you may prioritize studies on policy, managerial implications, or applied outcomes; if you value theory development, you may prioritize conceptual debates and foundational models.

3) Social and professional location

This is your identity and position in relation to the topic, such as your work experience, culture, class, gender, professional role, and insider-outsider status. This matters because your background can make some research questions feel more visible and more urgent than others, and it can also shape how participants respond to you.

In terms of research objectives, your location may lead you to choose a topic that is personally or professionally meaningful, especially in an MBA dissertation where the topic often connects to your workplace or industry. That closeness can be an advantage because it improves access and relevance, but it can also narrow the range of questions you initially consider.

In terms of methodology, your location may influence access, rapport, and trust. For example, an insider researcher may find it easier to interview colleagues or understand organizational language, but may need stronger reflexive safeguards to avoid assuming too much or overlooking uncomfortable evidence.

Applying it in your dissertation

A simple way to write about positionality is to show how these three aspects shape your study:

·        What you believe counts as valid knowledge.

·        What kind of reality you think your topic has.

·        How your background and role influence access, interpretation, and emphasis.

For an MBA dissertation, this usually means acknowledging that your professional experience can help you identify a meaningful problem, while also requiring you to justify your choices carefully and remain reflexive about bias.

A practical sentence pattern

You could write something like this in your methodology chapter:
“My professional background shaped the research problem I selected, influenced my preference for an interpretive methodology, and guided my literature review toward studies that examine lived experience and organizational context.” This kind of statement shows awareness of positionality without making it sound overly personal.

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.