DSRT-850: 4.1 Interview Protocol with Questions Mapped to Literature

Sample Interview Protocol: Class Assignment

The purpose of the interview conducted for this class assignment is to collect information on a workplace conflict in which the participant was involved. The interview will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and will be recorded for later reference. In each phase of the interview, the interviewer will use some guiding questions to keep the conversation going, but the format of the interview will be open and flexible with probing questions asked in follow-up to the participant’s responses. Examples are provided for planned probing questions, and additional context-specific probing questions will be asked throughout the interview to encourage the participant to share in- depth about the experience being discussed.

Welcome

The welcome phase will begin with an introduction to the interviewer and an explanation of the purpose and format of the interview using the script below as a general guide. Efforts will be made to convey the information in a conversational tone without reading the script verbatim. The welcome phase will also introduce the topic and provide an opportunity for the participant to ask questions before the interview begins.

Hello! I am [student name]. Like you, I am a doctoral student at the University of the ABC. I am currently enrolled in DSRT 850: Qualitative Research Methods, which is a class that teaches students how to conduct qualitative research. This interview will be recorded using the recording feature in Microsoft Teams so that I can review what is said and prepare a verbatim transcript afterwards. I will be using the transcript as practice for analyzing qualitative data and writing about the results. This is only a class exercise and not a real research project. No one will see the information you share except me and the course instructor, and the recording will be deleted at the end of the course.

Your comfort during our discussion is important to me. Please know that if you feel uncomfortable answering anything I ask, you can just let me know, and we will move on to another question. For this project, I do not need to know the names of the individuals or organizations involved in the conflict we will be discussing. Please feel free to use titles instead of names or replace actual names with pseudonyms during our discussion. I will maintain confidentiality and will not use any personal details when I report the results.

I really appreciate your time today in helping me practice my skills in qualitative research. During the interview, I would like to learn about a time when you dealt with a workplace conflict. I would like to find out about the nature of the conflict, how it affected you, how it was resolved, and what you learned from the experience.

Do you have any questions before we get started?

Opening

The opening phase of the interview will begin with some introductory questions that will ask the participant to provide background information related to the participant’s career. In this phase, the interview will begin to move to the conversation about the workplace conflict using a script of guiding questions. The goal of this phase is to help build rapport between the interviewer and participant and set up a context for a deeper conversation. Before we get started talking about the workplace conflict, I would like to get some information on your background to help me put our conversation in an appropriate context.

Q1. Could you tell me about your career?

Examples of Probing Questions: How long have you worked in your field? What do you most enjoy about the work you do?

Q2. As we start to think about the workplace conflict, would you please tell me about the job you were working in when you experienced the conflict we will discuss during our time together today?

Examples of Probing Questions: How would you describe the environment at your workplace at the time? What were your primary responsibilities within the organization? How satisfied were you with your work before the conflict occurred?

Primary Discussion

During the primary discussion phase of the interview, the majority of the important information on the workplace conflict will be collected. The script below outlines questions that will be used to guide the conversation. Examples of probing questions are also provided that will be used to prompt the participant to provide more information as needed. As the participant responds, the interviewer will listen carefully and formulate context-specific follow-up questions to obtain additional information and clarity based on the participant’s responses. The interviewer will also look for and note emotional responses.

As you already know, our purpose today is to discuss in detail a workplace conflict you experienced.

Q3. Could you tell me about the conflict and your role in it?

Examples of Probing Questions: Would you please describe the event or action that triggered the conflict? At what point did you recognize the situation was developing into a conflict? What was your initial reaction?

Q4. How would you describe the progression of the conflict?

Examples of Probing Questions: To what extent did you feel responsible for how the conflict escalated? What strategies were helpful in managing the conflict? What factors influenced how you responded to the conflict?

Q5. What role did communication play in the conflict?

Examples of Probing Questions: How did your communication approach with the other party change during the conflict? How would you describe the effectiveness of your communication during the conflict? To what extent were you able to communicate your feelings during the conflict?

Q6. How did the conflict experience impact you?

Examples of Probing Questions: What was your emotional reaction to the situation? How did the conflict impact your productivity at work? To whom did you turn for support? In thinking about your reaction to the conflict, what do you see as strengths? What reactions do you see as weaknesses?

Q7. How was the conflict resolved?

Examples of Probing Questions: How long did the conflict last? Who was involved in the conflict’s resolution? What role did your supervisor or other organizational leaders play in the conflict’s resolution?

Q8. How do you feel about the conflict’s resolution?

Examples of Probing Questions: To what extent was the conflict effectively resolved? How would you describe your satisfaction with your work after the conflict experience? To what extent did you feel pressure from others to resolve the conflict in a certain way?

Q9. In what ways did your work environment change after the conflict?

Examples of Probing Questions: To what extent have you changed how you work with others as a result of the conflict? In what ways may have the conflict been avoided with changes in leadership behaviors or expectations?

Closing

In addition to observing and taking notes, the interviewer will monitor time during the interview process and ensure that the interview begins to close down at the appropriate time out of respect for the participant’s time. The script below will be used to bring the interview to closure and help the participant reflect on the impact of the workplace conflict. At the close of the interview, a script will be used to thank the participant and ask for permission to follow up if needed for clarity.

Workplace conflict is never fun, but situations like this can help us grow and develop in ways that are useful in dealing with challenging situations in the future.

Q10. Looking back on the conflict, what lessons did you learn from the experience?

Examples of Probing Questions: What you might you do differently if you encounter a similar situation in the future? In what ways do you feel you have grown as a result of this experience? What advice might you give to someone facing a similar situation?

Is there anything else you would like to add about the conflict or how it impacted you?

Thank you so much for your time in talking with me today. I enjoyed our time together, and the information you shared has been helpful. I am looking forward to working with the data for the next steps in this class project.

Would it be okay if I reach out if I need clarity on anything we talked about today?

Thank you again. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day.