Video technology has become irresistible as an instrument of data collection for many researchers. Recording equipment is now readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use. Many organizations are now using video as a workplace tool for public broadcast, video conferencing, quality control, internal knowledge management, training, and more. Similarly, public events, such as congressional hearings, may now be video recorded, providing valuable extra-organizational data. Indeed, even in experimental research laboratories, which have long included video equipment, the prevalence of video as a medium of choice within our culture has expanded the possibilities for organizational research.
For organizational research methods, the empirical advantages of video data are noteworthy. Video recordings can capture behavior in real time and can then be slowed, zoomed and replayed, enabling analysts to be careful, precise, and consistent in generating accounts of organizational activity-who did what, when, where and how. Video recordings constitute a permanent record that others can watch and verify.
While video provides ontological opportunities for researchers, it also has potential pitfalls. Too often, researchers regard video as a lens on reality, without fully appreciating that the most basic cinematic decisions constitute theories about the world and how it should be studied. Organization scholars need to be aware of underlying disciplinary assumptions associated with the various video methods available. Hence, a careful consideration of ontological, epistemological, and practical assumptions guiding video research is critical. We have therefore developed the attached call for papers for a Special Issue of Organizational Research Methods on this topic. www.dropbox.com/s/glxcgu8edw8zrrz/ORM%20Video%20SI%20CfP%20FINAL.pdf