Qualitative research is about understanding ‘what’s going on?’ and there are useful models or insights that we can keep returning to across projects – to help us when we are in the asking questions phase, and when we are anaylsing what we’ve learned.

Here’s a favourite of mine: getting ahead vs getting along.

I came across this simple model/ idea reading Deborah Tannen. She’s a sociolinguistics professor – who has studied conversational styles – at work – and across the gender divide. Tannen says we are in constant motion switching between – getting along – to be likeable, to belong and getting ahead to gain advantage, to have higher status.

Knowing this, and being on the look out for different language and behaviour cues associated with each ‘code’ is really useful. It’s good too to think about your place as the researcher in any given dynamic – are you here to get ahead, or to get along?