Choosing a Research Methodology for Getting Pointed in the Right Direction (GPRD)
Considering Open Innovation Research model for researching alternative postsecondary workforce training programs
Carlos Moedas (2017), the former European commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, has promoted the idea of open innovation research, applying research methodologies that engage research subjects throughout the data analysis process to help authenticate findings and craft solutions based on research findings. The making of GPRD engaged research subjects in three stages of the film’s development; (1) interviewees commented on their transcripted video interview, (2) each “actor” seen in the film, provided feedback, before the final film was completed, and (3) every participant had the opportunity to comment on the final written analysis of the findings before the publication of the research paper. The unique process of creating a film based on academic research required me to discuss my ongoing analysis with diverse stakeholders and review the collected data dynamically. This ensured I represented each participant authentically. Engaging in these processes helped dispel uncertainty about the importance of the case study because it contextualized the findings in real-time with the participants, allowing me to hear about their ongoing personal and professional workforce experiences, and consider their experiences within developing postsecondary public policy in New Mexico (Bogers et al., 2018).
Watch the Film on Vimeo
Documentary filmmaking is intended to promote the voices of those interviewed (Stubbs, 2002). However, as every filmmaker knows, the act of editing itself relies on the ethics of the individual filmmaker and their relationship with the subjects, which in research is the positionality of the researcher. Ensuring a multi-stepped review process during the making of GPRD helped verify my findings and approach the making of the film with a renewed responsibility to the “actors” within the film, helping mitigate my personal bias. Even though I have been making movies since the age of 13, and I have never approached filmmaking in this exact way before.
Open innovation research was first proposed to help navigate emerging science, economic, and medical research within the technological demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Chesbrough, 2003). When the overarching concepts of open innovation research are applied to qualitative studies about postsecondary students navigating workforce training programs, it allows alternative themes to emerge. These alternative themes help us understand the changing dynamics of the noncredit higher education sector and its impact on traditional higher education systems. The diagram below shows a conceptual approach that considers the impact open innovation research design could have on higher education workforce training programs. I advocate for this approach because innovation in postsecondary education often happens outside established and known systems of higher education. This is not a fault of the people within the systems themselves, but is a historical biproduct influenced by processes of accreditation. An open innovation model helps us look objectively at emerging higher education markets, allows us to consider their quality, and the student experience within what we currently classify as “alternative” postsecondary workforce training programs.
References
Bogers, M., Chesbrough, H., & Moedas, C. (2018). Open Innovation: Research, Practices, and Policies. California Management Review, 60(2), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125617745086
Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business School Press.
Moedas, C. (2017). Science & Democracy. In environment.harvard.edu [Web Video]. Science, Technology & Society Program. Harvard University. https://environment.harvard.edu/science-democracy-carlos-moedas
Stubbs, L. (2002). Documentary filmmakers speak. New York Allworth Press [20]05.