Emergent Research Design Strategies in Collaborative Research: A Tale of Two Studies

Collaborative research is rewarding but, compared to the dominant survey-based model of empirical research, very messy. We report on two case-study based projects, examining how the original research question and research design were adapted to take account of and take advantage of the emerging reality. The first study was originally intended to explore supply-chain flexibility in three sectors, aerospace, rail and truck manufacturing. However, we found that the chains were linked through common subcontractors, and unforeseen network-level and comparative analysis became possible. In the second study, on third-party logistics, the prime collaborator didn't want us to work with any of their direct competitors. While this compromised the design somewhat, it also led to a much deeper relationship with the prime collaborator, and a more critical reflection on the rationale for the research design. We discuss the implications of this type of emergent research design for practitioners and academics.