A biographical research approach

Alfons van Marrewijk, Shankar Shankaran, Ralf Müller, Nathalie Drouin

Research output: Chapter in Book / Report / Conference proceedingChapterAcademic

Abstract

This chapter explains the methodological foundations of the study on the personal lives of megaproject leaders studied in this book. To capture an in-depth understanding of career transitions and work identities of people leading megaprojects we used a biographical research method. Biographical research method is defined as research undertaken on individual lives and work, employing autobiographical documents, interviews or other sources. As life stories are real stories, their analysis must be closely linked to narrative analysis, focusing on time, social relations and place. We combine these three clusters with the concepts of past, present and future. This created a matrix by which the life stories of the studied megaproject leaders have been analyzed.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMegaproject leaders
Subtitle of host publicationReflections on personal life stories
EditorsNathalie Drouin, Shankar Sankaran, Alfons van Marrewijk, Ralf Müller
Place of PublicationCheltenham, UK
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishers
Chapter2
Pages12-20
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781789902976
ISBN (Print)9781789902969
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2021

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