Exploring the Applicability of Autoethnography as a Qualitative Research Method in Business Management

Recently, autoethnography has gained popularity in terms of multidisciplinary applicability to research. In the contemporary qualitative research discourse, there is a growing consensus that autoethnography as a qualitative research method adds value to various disciplines. Autoethnography combines key tenets of autobiography and biography with phenomenological interviews, participant observations, and diaries that are widely known as fieldwork techniques in the academic community. As such, it has been observed that autoethnography dominated disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, politics, and communication but it is largely neglected in business and management research, especially organizational studies. Surprisingly, the current stock of knowledge related to autoethnography is fragmented. To bridge these literature lacunas, this study is an attempt to explore the applicability of autoethnography in business and management research. Document analysis was adopted to collect secondary data from databases like Scopus, Google Scholar and other grey databases. In terms of qualitative data analysis, thematic analysis was employed. Given the multidisciplinary approach of autoethnography qualitative research, it is concluded that autoethnography enriches business and management research by incorporating subjective and lived experiences from organizational settings. The outcomes emanating from this study are of paramount importance to business management researchers, scholars, professionals, educators, and practitioners.