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A Qualitative Study on Reframing the Problem-solving Paradigm of Management Science. Neither Qualitative nor Quantitative methods, as they are currently constituted, adequately resolve the problems of representation and legitimation in the management sciences. This project seeks to resolve contradictions in the ontological and epistemological foundations of social science in order to overcome shortcomings in the two major paradigms that are used in research, where different views of the same phenomena emerge and multiple realities appear to exist.
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© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 1
GRENOBLE ECOLE DE MANAGEMENT Doctorate in Business Administration Program
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH PROPOSAL
TEMPLATE
Name of the candidate
First Name
Jared Lee
Last Name
Hanson
Certificate of authorship
Please read carefully the following statement and sign below it
“I hereby certify that I am the author of this document and any assistance I received in preparing this report is fully acknowledged. I have also cited all sources from which I obtained ideas, data
and words. I’m aware that plagiarism will lead to the cancellation of my application”.
After printing this document put the date and your signature :
15 November 2011
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 2
Instructions for writing your preliminary research proposal
This preliminary research proposal is a complete description of your intended research, to be later developed under the supervision of an assigned supervisor. Research proposal evaluation criteria Proposal reviewers will look at 3 primary criteria:
1- Relevance of the research question from both a managerial and an academic perspective a. Managerial: will your research bring added-value to improve managerial practices? b. Academic: will your research bring new knowledge to your field? Is the research
methodology rigorous? 2- Research feasibility
a. Is your research feasible in a period of 4 years? b. Is data easily accessible? c. Will it be easy to collect primary data?
3- Proposal quality a. Writing style b. Argumentation c. Structure and organization
When writing this proposal, take care to to answer the following questions: How interesting and important is my research? Is my research feasible? Can I produce an excellent dissertation and subsequent academic papers? Formatting requirements Please follow strictly the guidelines below when submitting your proposal: use only this document to submit your research proposal which must comply with the following formatting requirements: -Font: 12 point, Times New Roman -Title 1: 14 Times New Roman Bold -Title 2: 12 Times New Roman Bold -Title 3: 12 Times New Roman underlined -Text [Including references]: Double-spaced, justified Anti plagiarism policy Grenoble Ecole de Management has a very strict policy with regards to plagiarism and has therefore put very rigorous procedures and measures of control into place. Please submit your research proposal in hard (paper) and electronic formats. Your work will be screened for plagiarism through a specific antiplagiarism software (e.g. Turnitin).
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 3
Finding academic and managerial references If you do not yet have access to scientific databases (ABI Inform, Science Direct, etc.), you can browse the web and use these information sources:
1- Google scholars: http://scholar.google.com 2- Google books: http://books.google.com/books
Also, to have a clear understanding of the research process and to improve the quality of your preliminary research proposal, we recommend that you refer to one of the books listed below:
1- Easterby-Smith, M. Thorpe, R., Lowe, A., (2002), Management Research: An Introduction, SAGE Series in Management Research, London.
2- Easterby-Smith, M. Thorpe, R., Jackson, P., Lowe, A., (2008), Management Research: Theory and Practice, SAGE Series in Management Research, London.
3- Ghauri P. And Gronhaug K. (2005), Research methods in Business Studies, 3rd edition, Prentice-Hall
4- Saunders M., Lewis P. and Tornhill A. (2009), Research Methods for Business Students, 5th edition, Pearson Education Limited, Upper Saddle River
5- Leedy P.D. and Ormrod J.E. (2009), Practical Research: Planning and Design, 9th edition, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River
6- Huff A.S. (2009), Designing research for publications, 1st edition; Sage, London Quoting your sources When you refer to ideas from other researchers, different rules must be applied.
1- In the core text, you should mention the name(s) of the author(s) and the date the work was published.
a. If there is one author: my sentence (Allibert, 2008) b. If there are two authors: my sentence (Allibert and Bertalli, 2008). Keep the order of
the names as it is in the paper/book. c. If there are three authors or more: my sentence (Allibert et al., 2008). Keep the name of
the first author indicated in the paper/book d. You can also directly refer to the authors: Allibert (2008) noticed that .....
Examples
- Usage frequency also comes close to depth of usage (Gatignon and Robertson, 1985). - In these cases, authors mainly referred to the different situations in which the product is used
(Srivastava et al., 1978; Metzger, 1985; Harvey and Rothe, 1986) - Definitions of width of usage (Gatignon and Robertson, 1985) and breadth of usage
(Zaichowski, 1985) also reveal proximity with usage variety - As a fourth distinction, Oliver (1997) considered that few conceptual antecedents of perceived
quality were known, whereas satisfaction was known to be influenced by many cognitive and affective processes
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 4
Bibliography In the last part of your research proposal, you need to indicate your reference list. Here you should detail the precise references of the works mentioned in your preliminary research proposal. In this preliminary research proposal, references must be presented as follows: Hart , C. (1998). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. London, UK: Sage Publications. Gebauer, J. and Tang, Y. (2008). Applying the Theory of Task-Technology Fit to Mobile Technology: The Role of User Mobility. International Journal of Mobile Communications, 6(3), 321-344
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 5
Overview of the proposal
Research Proposal Title Indicate here the title of your research proposal. The title of your dissertation proposal should be informative and helpful in clarifying the topic and the focus of your research.
Basic Social Math:
A Qualitative Study on Reframing the Problem-solving Paradigm of Management Science.
Research Proposal Abstract This is a summary of your research proposal. It should be no longer than 500 words.
There are foundational errors in the mathematical frameworks currently used in management
science research. A new approach is needed in social science research and systems engineering. This
paper examines how the new understandings of complex systems, the role of emotion in cognition,
and the core dynamics of decision making can help us correct these errors and to create a general
framework for systemic innovation. It argues for the development of more rigorous linguistic tools
that can objectively analyze social dynamics from an empirical perspective rather than from subjective
cultural frames. In order to upgrade theories and adapt practices in social and management systems,
we need to first correct problems at the fundamental end of the mathematical framework that is used
for problem representation and legitimation.
In order to establish a new perspective that can foster innovation in the management sciences,
better tools are needed at the fundamental level of math that is used for social analysis. Currently,
subjective cultural-linguistic frames serve as the basis for most of the underlying metrics of social
interactions in organizational behavior and decision analysis. The problem with this is that the value
structures of different cultural-linguistic frames do not align in mathematically consistent ways.
Therefore, inferences made using these frameworks cannot accurately predict performance outcomes
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 6
in global contexts that cross cultures. By reframing the problem-solving paradigm in terms of
empirically validated relationship dynamics, it is hypothesized that we can create a unified linguistic
framework capable of producing coherent pictures of management problems that are free from
cultural bias. Rather than focusing on all the cultural differences, this project puts an alternative
approach to the test that focuses on the common ground that all humans share from a neurobiological
and decision making point of view. A case study will be conducted and written about a change
management program now underway at a large private school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 7
DETAILED PROPOSAL
1- Brief introduction and problem statement In this section you should introduce the subject area, set the context for the proposed study and highlight the relevance of this research within the broader subject area. You should indicate why your research question is important and why it is worthy of a dissertation-level inquiry. Typically you should try to address some of the following questions: What is the problem? Is the problem of current interest? Why is this question important and worth studying? Why are you interested in the topic area?
Neither Qualitative nor Quantitative methods, as they are currently constituted, adequately
resolve the problems of representation and legitimation in the management sciences. The source of
these problems is two fold:
1. Qualitatively, we don't have an alternative to cultural narrative as the basis for values used
in the calculations of meaning, which creates subjectivity in representations of management problems.
2. Quantitatively, we don't have empirical measures for management problems that adhere to
fundamental rigors and principles of basic math, which limits the overall legitimacy of results.
“Qualitative Research is an interactive process shaped by the researcher’s personal history,
biography, race, etc. There is no ‘value-free’ social science” (Patel, 2011). “Quantitative methods
require the use of standardized measures so that the varying perspectives and experiences of people
can fit into a limited number of predetermined response categories to which numbers are assigned”
(Patton, 2002; Patel, 2011). The questions of ‘Whose values?’ and ‘Whose standards?’ remain
unanswered within these paradigms of problem-solving, therefore any problem representations created
within them remain somewhat biased and subjective. Attempts have been made to catalogue the
differences between the values and standards that are embedded in various cultural-linguistic
narratives. But so far, no innovative breakthrough has been made in methods used to reconcile such
differences, nor has a coherent alternative to cultural-linguistic framing been developed for
representing and solving problems in management science.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 8
The following Renaissance paintings illustrate how the value calculations and underlying
standards used to create problem representations affect the final picture that we see:
Madonna Enthroned 1280 by Cimabue
Madonna Enthroned 1310 by Giotto
Mona Lisa 1503-6 by Leonardo da Vinci
Think about the mathematical structures that underlie each of these pictures and the impact
that they have on the quality and clarity of the representation of the subject. These are the types of
fundamental rigors that we need to apply to our representations of management problems in order to
resolve the deficiencies of current methods.
Basic Social Math is a linguistic innovation that reframes the problem-solving paradigm of
management science by shifting away from underlying sets of beliefs embodied in the cultural
narratives of different researchers and moving towards a culturally neutral set of beliefs embodied in
the linguistic frame of basic math. It incorporates rigors at the fundamental end of the mathematical
spectrum that can simultaneously bring conceptual alignment to abstract representations of decision
making and provide the means of legitimating observations and conclusions within real world
contexts of social interaction.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 9
2- Research question In this part you should indicate, clearly and concisely, the purpose of the study and outline the key research question(s). This part should answer the following question: What are the aims and objectives of your work? You should also indicate the field of research: industry, companies, country, period, etc.
How effectively can managers operate in cross-cultural contexts, if they reframe problems in
terms of Basic Social Math, compared with those who frame problems in terms of existing cultural
narratives?
Can the fundamental relationship dynamics of decision making effectively be used to
determine the limits of coherence in organizational engineering in the same way as aerodynamics
determine the limits of coherence for engineering of structures that fly?
Subsequently, how appropriate is the use of Basic Social Math in structuring and solving
operational problems that are considered complex or wicked?
Are managers able to create representations of problems in cross-cultural contexts that are free
from bias and viewed as legitimate from all stakeholders’ perspectives?
In using the empirical neurobiological processes that underlie decision making and social
interaction to standardize metrics and markers, how effectively are managers able to resolve conflicts
arising from stakeholders with differing cultural values?
Instead of framing management problems in terms of the many differences in cultural
narratives, Basic Social Math reframes the same problems using the few common variables that
emerge from the empirical processes that underlie decision making and neurological development.
Whereas if we frame observations of social interaction in terms of various cultural value frameworks,
we interpret the same phenomena in different ways leading to the conclusion that more variations
appear to be present than actually exist. The following photograph illustrates visually the problem
generated by using different cultural value sets to frame the phenomena we observe in social
interactions:
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 10
Since we have no alternative to using cultural narrative as the basis of the value calculations in
our representations of the phenomena we observe, a false dichotomy has emerged that divides
knowledge generation in social science into either a Post-Positivist paradigm (where the phenomena
exist independent of the observer who objectively seeks to understand, but cultural biases remain) or a
Constructivist paradigm (where understanding is co-constructed socially by the observer and therefore
many realities exist). This dichotomy is entirely generated by cultural linguistic framing. Neither
paradigm acknowledges the empirical phenomena that stand independent of our changing perceptions
of them. These differences in perception do not change the actual phenomena we observe. We fail to
recognize that language is socially constructed. It
only conveys meaning with a limited degree of
accuracy. Hence, additional linguistic rigors are
required in order to create a new paradigm, which is
able to generate meaningful representations that are
both culturally neutral and empirically objective.
Reframing is the only way to adequately resolve the
problems of representation and legitimation.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 11
3- Relevance to existing literature The purpose of this section is to show that you are aware of significant work in the field. By providing a brief survey of the literature that summarizes what we know and what we do not yet know about your particular topic, you should demonstrate how much you know about current activities in the subject area and your understanding of current research.
In order to reframe the problem-solving paradigm of management science, Basic Social Math
reexamines the relationships between the observer, the observed, and the representations generated
thereby. It first resolves contradictions in the ontological and epistemological foundations of social
science in order to overcome shortcomings in the two major paradigms that are used in research,
where different views of the same phenomena emerge and multiple realities appear to exist.
“The net that contains the researcher’s epistemological, ontological, and methodological
premises is a ‘paradigm’: basic set of beliefs that guides actions” (Guba, 1990; Patel 2011). The
following illustration captures the relationship dynamics in question regarding paradigms of research:
The problem with the Post-positivist paradigm is that it fails to acknowledge the impact of the
observer’s cultural linguistic frame on the picture of external phenomena that is created in the
observer’s brain. Thus it fails to achieve its objective of different observers being able to arrive at the
same conclusions about the same external phenomena.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 12
The problem with the Constructivist paradigm is that even though it acknowledges the impact
of cultural linguistic framing on the pictures of external phenomena that are created in the brain, it
fails to recognize that the external phenomena are not changed by our changing perceptions. Multiple
realities do not exist in the properties and dynamics of the external phenomena we observe.
Because these problems in the ontological and epistemological paradigms of management
research remain unresolved, the general belief has developed that the social sciences are not like the
physical sciences with respect to empirical studies and validation of general principles. The social
world is too complex to be understood in such ways, or so the logic goes. However, a new
understanding of complexity itself has emerged in the last decade, which up-ends such long-standing
beliefs.
“In parallel with the current transformative revolutions in information processing and
communication,...there is another revolution, a Kuhnian paradigm shift at the dawn of the 21st century
much as physics underwent in the beginning of the 20th century when quantum mechanics was added
to Newtonian physics. That revolution is in our understanding of how complex adaptive systems
(CAS) gather, compute, store and communicate—from DNA to the human biopsychosocial levels—
and in our use of this knowledge” (Jobson, 2011).
Rather than arguing about contradictory views generated between Constructivist and Post-
positivist paradigms and the differences that result from cultural-narrative framing, Basic Social Math
seeks a new paradigm based on rigorous linguistics with experientially validated correspondence to
empirical phenomena. As Stuart Dreyfus states, when we look at how neurons actually function in the
brain during the generation of new knowledge, “many of the difficulties and complications that arise
when an agent [observer] is assumed to be either a manipulator of a vast array of separately
remembered situations or a disembodied, detached decision maker trying to make a model of its
environment and then respond sensibly based on that model vanish when the agent is seen as an
embedded, involved, adaptive entity using only environmental feedback and its own internal state to
learn to respond in a model-free way” (2004).
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 13
By examining management science phenomena in terms of the dynamic processes that
individual agents use to function, new representations of problems can be created based on empirical
phenomena instead of cultural narrative. This effort to reframe the real problems of social interaction
in various management contexts follows the advice of Cambridge’s Dénes Sz!cs and Usha Goswami
who urged that neuroscientists should not work in isolation. “Educational researchers and teachers,
with their extensive practical experience, need to be involved in formulating research questions. Their
practical knowledge should also contribute to setting strategic directions for educational neuroscience
research” (2007). There must be a cyclical feedback loop between the research questions investigated
and the real problems to which the findings can be applied. In other words, an active reflective process
is needed.
No basic framework or methodology can be found in the literature for how to systematically
engage in a reflective process. Here, I had to search beyond the management disciplines to find useful
models and guides. David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb & Fry: 1975), for example, has
been utilized in the teaching profession to help people engage in an active reflective practice. This
framework provides a model of the developmental process that moves learners from the abstract to the
concrete application of new concepts. As Dreyfus states, “the agent need only observe how the
process unfolds.” And he concludes that “the best explanation of the source of skilled behavior may
well be that experience has modified the expert’s synapses so as to produce it.” This cycle is common
to all neurobiological development and does not change based on culture.
Whereas Hofstede and the GLOBE study look at the ways that national cultures differ, Basic
Social Math frames all management problems in terms of the universal empirics of neurobiological
interactions that underlie both learning and decision making. Hofstede looked at 5 dimensions in
which national cultures vary. The GLOBE study looked at 9 dimensions (Javidan, 2006). In both
cases, interesting insights are produced, however, the problems of representation and legitimation are
not resolved. Fundamentally, by examining how cultures are different we do not arrive at useful tools
for representing management problems that remove the cultural biases generated in the pictures we
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 14
produce. We only end up seeing that each picture is different depending on the cultural context in
which it is produced. The following two pictures represent these distinctions:
So we end up with the acknowledgement that the resulting pictures are different and the
conclusion is that different approaches may be needed in order to solve problems. But so what?
If, on the other hand, we look at the common variables that tell us how all cultures are the
same, then we end up with something much more powerful from an analytical and problem-solving
point of view. We arrive at a noise filter that can first give us a clear picture of the phenomena we are
observing and then we can use the powerful tools of math to find innovative new approaches to solve
problems. Rather than spending time counting all the differences, we can take the new understanding
of how complex systems function and identify the simple underlying components that generate all the
complex pictures in the system. In other words, rather than trying to understand all the differences
between pictures generated in different cultural narratives, we can just seek to understand the common
elements that are used in generating pictures of social interaction. This is the equivalent of seeking to
understand the three primary colors and how they can be combined in order to produce an infinite
variety of pictures, instead of trying to describe how different artists create different pictures. The
following illustrates the structural breakdown of the complex system that generates pictures:
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 15
Management science emerges from decision making in social contexts. Making decisions is
the most fundamental component of managing people. It is the central process that underlies every
issue and every problem we encounter in organizations. Decision making is to management as
electricity is to electronics. The only way to harness its power is through an accurate understanding of
its fundamental nature.
Thus, innovation revolves around decisions. Strategy revolves around decisions. Coping with
change in operational environments revolves around decisions. Any social interaction that requires
leadership revolves around decisions. The dynamics of decision making are as critical to management
science as aerodynamics are to flight.
And yet, there is no common, empirically-based view of social decision making in the
management science literature. Ideas about how decisions can and should be made vary widely across
social disciplines and cultures. This lack of clarity at the underlying, fundamental level creates a very
complex and obscured picture of problems encountered in management science.
Without conceptual alignment at the underlying, structural level, where value calculations take
place, our representations of management science problems remain rudimentary and unsophisticated,
despite the incorporation of sophisticated quantitative techniques. Since cultural narratives serve as
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 16
the basis of value calculations in most qualitative problem representations, they do not provide a
rigorous foundation for relating scales or magnitudes that accurately correspond to phenomena in the
real world. Quantitatively, we lack empirical standards. Qualitatively, we use cultural values.
Observers from different cultures often create vastly different representations of the same set
of interactions because they are calculating different factors with different values that are not
mathematically consistent. Here is an easy visual example from a Chinese artist that I met in Xi’an
who painted a portrait of me, an American.
So, when we attempt to reconcile the problem representations created in different cultural
frames, we conclude that the calculations are extremely complex and difficult because nothing seems
to align concretely. Investigating social and management problems is not a “hard” science, like
physics, we conclude. In operations research, for example, these problems have come to be labeled,
“soft,” because of the shifting nature of problem representations created from the differing
perspectives of stakeholders. The math that has been developed so far and put into practice still
contains uncorrected errors. Jonathan Barzalai, professor of industrial engineering at Dalhousie
University elaborated on what is needed:
“The construction of the mathematical foundations of any scientific discipline requires the
identification of the conditions that must be satisfied in order to enable the application of the
mathematical operations of linear algebra and calculus. Because these conditions have not been
correctly identified in the literature, the fundamental problem of applicability of mathematical
operations to scale values has not been solved and these operations are applied in error in game
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 17
theory, economic theory, psychology, and other social sciences. In particular, addition and
multiplication are not applicable to any scale values in decision theory.” (Barzilai 2007)
This is where reframing can have a profound impact on the conclusions we reach about
management science problems. The following comparison between Roman and Arabic numerals
illustrates how linguistics affects calculation:
Even a casual look a the history of Arithmetic from Wikipedia gives us a sense of how
important this linguistic innovation was in the development of science:
“...the characteristics of the particular numeral system strongly influence the complexity of the
methods. The hieroglyphic system for Egyptian numerals, like the later Roman numerals, descended
from tally marks used for counting....
“The gradual development of Hindu-Arabic numerals independently devised the place-value
concept and positional notation, which combined the simpler methods for computations with a
decimal base and the use of a digit representing zero. This allowed the system to consistently
represent both large and small integers. This approach eventually replaced all other systems.…
“The flourishing of algebra in the medieval Islamic world and in Renaissance Europe was an
outgrowth of the enormous simplification of computation through decimal notation” (2011).
Jonathan Barzalai has demonstrated conclusively, that the math used in fields such as
economics, operations research, decision analysis, and game theory has uncorrected errors at the
foundational level (2007). So, it is at the fundamental end of the mathematical spectrum that we now
need to focus, if we want to improve our capacity to represent problems and to fully legitimate
conclusions we reach in the management sciences. By correcting these foundational errors, this
project calls into question many widely held beliefs about the nature of management science and our
inability to use scientific methods to solve the ‘wicked’ problems that arise from complex social
interactions.
LXXVIII 78 – XLIV vs. – 44
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 18
“Wicked problems always occur in a social context, and there can be radically different views
and understanding of the problem by different stakeholders, with no unique “correct” view (Horn and
Weber 2007). Thus, their wicked nature stems not only from their biophysical complexity but also
from multiple stakeholders’ perceptions of them and of potential trade-offs associated with problem
solving” (Batie, 2008).
“Wicked problems often crop up when organizations have to face constant change or
unprecedented challenges. They occur in a social context; the greater the disagreement among stake-
holders, the more wicked the problem. In fact, it’s the social complexity of wicked problems as much
as their technical difficulties that make them tough to manage” (Camillus, 2008).
The value of reframing then is that much of the wickedness is neutralized due to the
conceptual alignment that is created at the underlying level of calculation that produces the problem
representations (level of primary colors). It more effectively harnesses the power of abstraction by
creating alignment based on the universal empirical processes that underlie decision making in social
contexts. This greatly simplifies the calculations and reduces the overall complexity of the mental
processing required.
If we examine how abstraction works in the
complex systems of language, we can get a better
idea of how we can harness its power to help us in
solving the wicked problems of complex social
interaction.
In Chinese, abstraction works at the surface
level of the language. An abstract symbol is
derived from a pictorial drawing of a word. Since there are thousands of different words, there are
thousands of different abstract symbols required to calculate meaning in the written language. While
functional, this is the least efficient usage of abstraction.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 19
When abstraction is applied at the structural level of a language, then much more of its power
can be harnessed. Rather than having symbols account for the variation in words, Arabic uses
different symbols to represent the sounds from which words are constructed. Since there are roughly
30 sound variations from which the entire complex system of the language emerges, only about as
many abstract symbols are required to do the same job that requires thousands of symbols to calculate
meaning in Chinese.
The lesson we learn here is that if we try to account for all the differences at the surface level
of a complex system, we will not be able to effectively harness the power of abstraction. If, however,
we work at the structural level, we can find the points of alignment that can be abstracted into a much
smaller set of component parts that can represent all of the calculations within the system.
So, when we talk about values and standards that are embedded in different cultural narratives,
it will be much less efficient to try to account for all the differences in decision making between
cultures than to work at the structural level of the decision-making process itself. By creating
abstractions of the underlying parts of the process, we end up with a much smaller set of variables.
The resulting calculations simultaneously capture all variations in the system and better harness the
power of abstraction.
So, where the GLOBE Study tries to do the enormous job of accounting for the many cultural
differences that affect calculations in management problems, Basic Social Math only requires
evaluation of 8 simple variables based on the neurobiological interactions that underlie learning and
decision making that are parallel across all systemic levels and cultures. By reframing the problem-
solving paradigm in this way, it is hypothesized that a manager will be better able to harness the
power of abstraction to calculate solutions and operate more effectively in any context.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 20
4- Research methodology Here you should state the type of research method you intend to use (quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method). You should also define the rationale for the selection of participants, methods of data collection (e.g. survey, focus groups, interviews) and analysis. Please do not forget to state how you will gain access participants. You should also include a statement about the delimitations (boundaries) of your research.
Viewed from a much broader perspective, Basic Social Math is a framework for the study of
fundamental patterns, dynamics, and cycles related to social interaction at all levels; from the
microscopic neurobiology of the brain to the macroscopic socio-cultural systems of the global
economy. It’s a mathematical framework for identifying and validating universal constraints,
operating rules and general laws of social interaction that can be used to deconstruct, analyze,
simulate, and engineer various social systems in education, business, and government. In order to
determine if such a framework can contribute to our understanding of social systems and/or improve
interactions within these systems, a case study conducted in a live management setting is required.
The problem is where to find a context in which you can test the validity of Basic Social Math
in a real world operation. Where do you get participants who are willing to take the risks of learning to
function within a new paradigm in real time? What about the financial risks of the drops in
performance that are part of the developmental process? Most business people are not willing to take
such risks or make such efforts without some very compelling motivation for doing so. In some cases,
firms may lead the way for reasons of competitive advantage. Others may be forced to make the shift
due to changes in the conditions of their operating environment.
The educational setting, in which I am now working, provides a unique context where various
decision making concepts can be tested in low risk settings. In other words, you can try different
approaches without the risk of serious financial losses. That way different risky approaches can be
tested for their social consequences without incurring financial losses if things don't turn out as
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 21
expected. Also, since I'm working in a cross-cultural setting, all of the issues that business managers
face in decision making in global operations can clearly be accounted for and tested for sustainability.
As such, a real world context must be used in order to put the various assumptions that
underlie current beliefs to the test. Experiments must be conducted in order to also put an alternative
set of assumptions, embodied in Basic Social Math, to the test, so that outcomes can be compared and
evaluated. Hence, I have chosen to use a case study, conducted in a cross-cultural organization that is
undergoing a major change management program, as the basis of these qualitative experiments. I have
begun a development program at a large private school in Riyadh where we are retraining teachers in
their English program to follow a more reflective practice in their approach to the operation of their
entire program.
The forces of globalization are causing changes that are generating ‘wicked’ problems which
can be seen in the operation of this school. In this global operating environment, performance
outcomes of the school have dropped substantially. Students spend 12 years in the school’s English
program, yet large numbers graduate still unable to communicate in basic English.
Parents are dissatisfied because they have paid tuition to educate their children, yet they have
to pay again for their children to spend another year or two in college just learning English. They
blame the school administration for failing to provide adequate education.
The administration blames the teachers, claiming that they do not control the students properly
and that they use out-dated methods of instruction. The teachers blame the students, claiming that they
do not want to learn. They also claim that the administration has created a system of conflicting
priorities and unrealistic expectations in which teachers find it difficult to operate.
Students claim the whole system is worthless and question why they should even bother
putting forth the effort to learn when there are many loopholes in the system through which they can
get their graduation certificates without learning anything.
From a management point of view, the case study will focus on how Basic Social Math can be
applied in the following situations and what results are achieved in the live setting:
1. Usage as the basis for diagnosing the problems that are producing poor results.
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 22
2. Usage as the technical basis for engineering sustainable solutions to the above problems.
3. Usage in analyzing the interpersonal relationships involved between Parents, Administrators,
Teachers, and Students.
4. Usage as the basis for reconciling the competing, and often conflicting, interests, priorities, and
objectives of stakeholders.
This study will use multiple means of data capture from interventions and experiments
conducted, including surveys of stakeholders, filmed interviews of key management and
administrative personnel, filmed observations of class operations, filmed training sessions with
managers, teachers, and supervisors, as well as performance results from students in the program.
From this data, the case study will be written along with an evaluation of the impacts that reframing
had on the overall effectiveness of managers in this context.
5- Workplan
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 23
What is your timeframe to achieve this research, taking into account that you will have to submit your final thesis on Month 36 of your program. Tasks to be achieved Start date Deadline
Phase 1
Determine definitive research
question
28 Feb 2011 01 May 2011
Define research model 15 Oct 2011 15 Jan 2012
Define methodology 15 Jun 2011 15 Oct 2011
Prepare and write literature
review
15 Nov 2011 31 Jan 2012
Prepare pilot study 01 Sep 2011 15 Jan 2012
Phase 2
Collect data 15 Jan 2012 15 May 2012
Analyze Data 15 May 2012 01 Sep 2012
Write final work 01 Sep 2012 01 Dec 2012
Submit final work Dec 2012
Review and defend March 2013
© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 24
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© Grenoble Ecole de Management Doctoral School - 2010 Page 28
7 Self- assessment In this proposal which part did you find the most difficult to write? And with which section were your most comfortable in completing?
The most difficult part to write was the literature survey and to design an appropriate structure for a
case study. I still need input from my supervisor in this section.
The Introduction and Problem Statement was the most comfortable for me to write.