From little things, big things grow: Building a grounded theory research community of practice

For many scholars from various disciplines, an invisible but powerful boundary exists between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. Even within the qualitative research community, there are multiple understandings about grounded theory methodologies and methods. Communication and collaboration could be the key to overcoming these boundaries. This paper reports on the development of a grounded theory research community of practice at a university in regional Australia.
As the group’s founders aimed to foster a collaborative environment to enhance their expertise in grounded theory, they gradually recognised that there was also across the institution, and that they could play a role in addressing this need. They are now involved in a range of activities to improve qualitative research proficiency across the institution, such as engaging with well-known grounded theorists and initiating a mentorship program. This group has become a much-needed focus for many qualitative researchers as well as a vehicle for building qualitative research capability across the institution. Members also had a variety of interests and aspirations, encompassing both specific goals related to grounded theory and broader objectives in qualitative research. These included collaborating on grounded theory projects, hearing from internationally renowned grounded theorists, attending grounded theory workshops, establishing writing development groups, and initiating a mentoring program.
Since inception, the group has taken a ‘build it and they will come’ approach, with scholars across the wider research community being generous with their time, support, and mentorship. This in turn has encouraged both cross-disciplinary project collaboration and the shared supervision of research students across disciplines. This group has proven to be of value to its members and of value to the institution in several ways, including in terms of methodology teaching, mentoring doctoral students and their supervisors, and in linking researchers to other established individuals and groups of scholars.
This presentation charts the progress of the group, and looks to its future in terms of collaborative opportunities across Australia as well as with established research communities in Europe and North America.