Abstract
The Ubiquitous Infusion Thinking (UIT) strategy is an innovative action strategy evidenced by the weaving of cognitive and affective thinking into organizational theories that serve to shape the understanding of multidimensional threads and themes that emerge in the problem-solving analysis of complex problems, situations, and/or dilemmas used in a multidimensional case study perspective. The UIT strategy utilizes a focus-refocus-focus–visualize-interpret technique allowing the researcher to engage the power of emotions by stepping in and out of a situation, observing, and then stepping back to acquaint and reacquaint the actions taking place in the setting, permitting clear thinking to emerge. There are four phases: Ubiquitous Investigation, Shaping One's Understanding, Building the Backstory, and Action. This chapter walks the researcher through the historical case study research methodology and the Multidimensional Perspective to case study research using ubiquitous infusion thinking strategy.
TopHistorical Approach To Case Study Research
Case studies are pertinent when your research addresses either a descriptive question “What is happening or has happened?”— or an explanatory question —“How or why did something happen?” (Yin, 2012, p. 5).
Most of the time, researchers seek the answers to problems under two branches of research: quantitative and qualitative. In fact in many venues, the quantitative and qualitative conversation/argument on how to best find the answers to problems is quite heated and the research questions drive the research. Quantitative research is statistically based, numerical, factual and non-interactive. Some types of quantitative research are experimental, quasi experimental, causal-comparative, and survey. Qualitative research according to Merriam, (2009) includes “four major characteristics: focus on the understanding meaning of experience; the researcher is the primary instrument in data collection and analysis; the strategy is inductive; and rich description characterizes the end product” (p. 19). Some types of qualitative research are naturalistic, case study, ethnography, grounded theory and phenomenology. Data are often collected through interviews, observations, focus groups and document analysis (see Table 1).
Table 1. | Quantitative | Qualitative |
| Based on induction and logical positivism | Focused on understanding |
| Controlled | Naturalistic observation |
| Objective | Subjective |
| Inferences beyond data | Inferences of data |
| Solid repeatable data | Data are rich & deep |
| Generalizable | Not generalizable |
| Particularistic | Holistic |
| Static Reality | Dynamic reality |
| Inductive | Deductive |
Source: López, Luis, & Hernández (2011)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Continuous Looping: Stepping back to acquaint and reacquaint the actions taking place in the setting.
Multidimensional Perspective: Provides a clearer picture, to view the distance, to see the details, to capture a moment or to shift points of view, when needed.
Focus - Refocus - Focus - Visualize – Interpret: Allowing the researcher to engage the power of emotions by stepping in and out of a situation, observing and then stepping back to acquaint and reacquaint the actions taking place in the setting, permitting clear thinking to emerge.
Social Thinking: Considers the underlying social cognitive knowledge required for the expression of related social skills (Crooke, Hendrix, & Rachman, 2008 p. 583).
Ubiquitous Infusion Thinking: Strategy is an innovative action strategy evidenced by the weaving of cognitive and affective thinking into organizational theories that serve to shape the understanding of multidimensional threads and themes that emerge in the problem solving analysis of complex problems, situations and/or dilemmas used in a multidimensional case study perspective.
Lateral Thinking: The process of using information to bring about creativity and insight of new patterns (De Bono, 1990 p. 5).
Regret Theory: Experience emotions as a consequence of our decisions. Decision makers experience regret when the outcome of the rejected option would have been better, and rejoicing when the outcome of the rejected option would have been worse (Zeelenberg, 1999 p. 326).
Systems Thinking: The ability to draw conclusions is enhanced because the implications to the fact finding are revealed by the data (Jay Forrester, 1994 ).