Using narrative evidence synthesis in HRM research: An overview of the method, its application, and the lessons learned

Adrian Madden*, Catherine Bailey, Kerstin Alfes, Luke Fletcher

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The use of systematic approaches to evidence review and synthesis has recently become more common in the field of organizational research, yet their value remains unclear and largely untested. First used in medical research, evidence review is a technique for identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing existing empirical evidence. With greater demand for the best evidence about “what works” in organizational settings, nuanced approaches to evidence synthesis have evolved to address more complex research questions. Narrative synthesis is perceived to be particularly suited to evaluating diverse evidence types spanning multiple disciplinary fields, characteristic of the HRM domain. This article evaluates the narrative evidence synthesis approach, explains how it differs from other techniques, and describes a worked example in relation to employee engagement. We consider its strengths, the challenges of using it, and its value in HRM research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)641-657
Number of pages17
JournalHuman Resource Management
Volume57
Issue number2
Early online date24 Oct 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • employee engagement
  • Narrative evidence synthesis

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