LDRS 591 Activity 6.2
Carter, D., & Baghurst, T. (2014). The influence of servant leadership on restaurant employee engagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 453-464.
What sampling strategy was used, and was it justified?
The authors used the theory or concept sampling. As per Plano-Clark and Creswell (2015, p. 334), this sampling strategy is applied when the researchers are attempting to generate a theory or explore a concept. In this study the authors are studying the relationship between servant leadership and employee satisfaction, so they recruited employees of a restaurant with servant leadership. Score 3.
Is the sample size appropriate and justified?
This is a case study design. They chose 11 participants to participate in 2 focus groups. This is an appropriate size for this type of study. Score 3.
Were the data types appropriate?
Data were collected using focus groups, document data in the form of previous survey data, direct and non obtrusive observation. The focus groups were conducted during lunch hour, on site, and the employees were compensated by the employer for their time. Score 3.
Were data gathered using rigorous qualitative procedures?
Consent and confidentiality statements were read aloud, employees were given the opportunity to withdraw. The researchers took notes, and recorded the responses of participants. They explored the servant leadership experiences of employees. Score 3.
Were data collection issues handled ethically and thoughtfully?
Employees were read confidentiality agreements, and were informed about the opportunity to withdraw. I did not find mention of researchers discussing the ethical reamifications of the study. They discussed filed issues like the restaurant business being unpredictable. Score 2.
Were the selected participants information rich?
The selected participants had more than five years of employment of the restaurant. I think this is a good section strategy as this gives the employees experience in working with this leadership style for what in the restaurant business is considered a good length of time. Score 3.
Did the data provide extensive and credible information about the central phenomenon?
The findings of the study suggest that servant leadership had a strong influence of employee engagement. There were some other findings in the study which the authors have discussed in detail in the discussion and conclusion sessions. Overall there were many key findings from the study which add to the growing knowledge about servant leadership. Score 3.
Overall score: 20. High quality.
Reference
Plano-Clark, V., Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Hi Simarjit,
Great evaluation! I just wanted to mention that this was a phenomenological study design (see the paragraph above the methods section on page 456 in the Carter and Baghurst (2014) article). The authors used a homogeneous sampling strategy because they had selected employees from only one restaurant to describe their servant leadership experiences. If you look at table 10.1 on page 334 you will see the distinction between a homogeneous sampling strategy and the theory or concept sampling. This later type of sampling would mainly be used in a grounded theory study design.
Dr. Strong