Chapter: 1 Research Methodology

1.1 Introduction

Research Methodology is a systematic way to solve any research problem (Kothari, 2015).

Simply put, it is a blueprint for providing an overview of all the methods and techniques one uses

for fulfilling study objectives scientifically. This chapter entails different research parameters

ranging from research paradigms and approaches to research design, data collection, and

sampling technique along with data analysis methods to reach the research objectives through

data analysis. The chapter also entails a part that ensures that the data is valid as well as reliable

while also adhering to the research ethics for morally conducted research. This study has been

conducted to bridge the study gaps as identified in the early chapters of this research and ensures

meeting the ends through a systematic methodological framework to seek answers to the

research questions built up so far on Challenges posed by HR professionals in managing

workforce before and after the COVID Era.

1.2 Research Paradigm

Research Paradigm refers to the belief system of the researcher and the theoretical framework

upon which the whole research is based (Rehman & Alharthi, 2016). There are four components

to a Research Paradigm, Ontology, Epistemology, Methodology & Methods (Rehman &

Alharthi, 2016). Ontology refers to one’s beliefs about reality where researchers make their

assumptions about reality, Epistemology, on the other hand, refers to that branch of philosophy

that studies the nature of the knowledge, how the knowledge was acquired and how it was
validated (Rehman & Alharthi, 2016). Methodology refers to studying and critically analyzing

the methods of data production. It involves strategizing, setting a plan of action, and involving a

process that helps in deciding the choice or preference of the researcher to conduct research. It

helps the researcher to decide what type of data and what data collection tools would be

appropriate to carry out the research. Methods on the other hand are the specific means by which

the data is collected and analyzed. The methods can be questionnaires and open-ended

interviews.

The current study is based on Epistemology since the ideology helped the researcher to inquire

about what kind of knowledge was required and gave an insight into the process of acquiring that

knowledge and the way it was validated among the employees during the pre and post-COVID

era. The approach helped the researcher to identify the possibility, objectivity, and subjectivity

along with validity and generalizability of the workforce management of the employees by HR

Managers in IT companies. The study is also based on the Method approach as it involves

Questionnaires. It has both open-ended and close-ended questionnaires thereby justifying the use

of the Method approach. Since the researcher collected the data from the already existing data as

an evidence-based research practice to complete the research work and uses the questionnaire,

the research paradigm for the research is a mix of Epistemology, and Method approaches.

1.3 Research Philosophy

Research Philosophy entails belief systems and assumptions through which knowledge is built-

up (Saunders et al., 2015). The assumptions and beliefs can be with regards to human knowledge

or values that may impact research or can be about reality. The research philosophy helps the

researcher to generate ideas into knowledge related to the research (Žukauskas, 2017). Such
philosophies are categorized as positivism, interpretivism, and realism (Saunders et al., 2015).

The positivism approach entails considering the researcher as an objective analyst which

dissociates them from personal values and helps them to work independently (Žukauskas, 2017).

Contrary to the belief of Positivism, the Interpretivism approach involves the researcher as a part

of the research and they play an important role in observing the research (Žukauskas, 2017). The

third approach, realism is based on both positivism and interpretivism and is necessary as per the

subjective human nature (Žukauskas et al., 2018).

Before beginning the research process, recognizing research philosophy is of great relevance as

the acknowledgment of the research philosophy helps in shaping the research methodology and

gives a direction to the research. For the current research, the positivism research philosophy has

been adopted that looks into the cause-and-effect relationship which can give predictability and

certainty in the future upon its establishment. The study uses the positivism approach as it will

make the study scientific and more valid. It will help to understand if COVID has impacted

workforce management and has brought any shift in workforce management in the pre and post-

COVID era or not.

1.4 Research Design

Research design is defined as the plan or a strategy of investigation about finding answers to the

research question as well as controlling variance (Peniel, 2016). It structures the research in such

a way that all the major parts of the research – samples, measures, programs/treatments, and

methods of the assignment are glued together to answer the central question of the research

(Islamia, 2016). It entails the outline for collecting as well as analyzing the data. To structure the

research, hypotheses are set, concepts are refined, scales are chosen along with reliability and
validity actions are taken care of (Peniel, 2016). It simply means setting out the targets ahead of

time keeping in mind that the expenditure of time, cost, and manpower are minimal (Islamia,

2016).

There are different types of research design – Exploratory, Descriptive, Ex-Post facto,

Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, Factorial, survey-Method design, and Cross-sectional or

correlational. Exploratory research has the purpose to formulate a hypothesis and is the first step

of a continuous research process. Descriptive research on the other hand deal with finding the

relationship between the variables, testing hypotheses, and developing generalizations and

principles with universal viability (Islamia, 2016). It is a fact-finding way of research that

formulates and tests hypotheses using inductive-deductive reasoning to reach generalizations and

also employs the methods of randomization (Islamia, 2016).

Ex-post facto research theory is developed after an analysis of the data to look into the data’s

pattern. Here the causes are studied after they have had their effect. Experimental designs on the

other hand are the most rigorous of all other types of research design. These provide a blueprint

of the ways that help the researcher to test the hypothesis by reaching a valid conclusion about

finding a relationship between dependent and independent variables (Islamia, 2016). Quasi-

Experimental designs are a bit like experimental designs but they are devoid of random

assignment. Factorial designs find interaction effects whereas the survey method design includes

structured interviews and interviewing. Cross-sectional or correlation design looks for the

measures from at least two groups at a point and compares the difference between the two groups

basis their dependent variable (for example – level of drinking alcohol).

collecting, arranging, and analyzing the collected data. The data used in this study are both

primary as well as secondary. The primary data was collected by making a structured

questionnaire whereas the secondary data was used in forming the conceptual framework,

forming and testing the hypothesis, and identifying the gaps based on the earlier studies as well

as supporting the data collected by primary research.

The research design used in this research is explanatory as it involves previous knowledge and

finds a relationship between dependent and independent variables for testing the hypothesis. The

purpose of the current study thus explains the already existing knowledge of the cause and effect

of COVID on pre and post-COVID circumstances on HR Professionals as well as it also looks

into the realms that have been unexplored to answer the challenges posed by HR Professionals

during pre and post-COVID.

1.5 Research Type

The research type is referred to as the type of methods that were used to carry out the research. It

involves forming a plan and then employing different methods to collect, analyze and interpret

the data. There are mainly two types of research, namely Qualitative and Quantitative. Whereas

Qualitative research is exploratory in the sense that it discovers and does not guess the

conclusion through the questions of what and how, Quantitative research, on the other hand,

finds out the relationship between the variables by the use of numbers and statistics (Borgstede

& Scholz, 2021). Simply put, Quantitative research involves measuring any quantity or amount

through a variable-based model, and qualitative research involves qualitative phenomenon

study, both Qualitative and Quantitative methods can be used.

The current study is based on mixed types of research which mean it uses both Quantitative and

Qualitative methods of research. The qualitative method of research helped the researcher to

understand the insights related to the topic which helped the researcher develop new ideas or

themes for deciding if the research objectives had been met. The current research used relevant

qualitative data by interviewing. Quantitative research on the other hand uses the methods of

numbers in the sense that it used numerical data for a demonstrable analysis of the data. The

Quantitative data used here was a Structured Closed-ended Questionnaire that involved

investigating the numeric information gathered from the HR professionals to analyze the

workforce management pre and post-COVID era. The quantitative data is the key research

method used in this case as it provided a quantifiable framework that helped the researcher get

the data to emerge in numbers. Moreover, the researcher separated the duplicate entries and

converted the numerical data into statistical information that helped the researcher create charts,

graphs, and images for a better comprehension of the information and in a better manner.

1.6 Survey Data Collection Procedure

This section entails the nitty-gritty involved with the Quantitative Data Analysis used in the

current study. It will give a detailed review of the Target population, the Sampling plan citing

sample size and sample type followed by Questionnaire Design and its administration.
1.6.1 Target Population

The target population is defined as the group of people or individuals that the researcher wants to

intervene in and draw their conclusion (Barnsbee et al., 2018). For the current study, the target

population is HR professionals in India having experience of at least 2 years as the aim of the

study is to look into the workforce management in an organization that is carried out by Human

Resource Professionals only.

1.6.2 Sampling Plan

The sampling strategy involves the steps a researcher delineates in a sampling plan. It includes

the sample size and the sample type chosen for studying the desired population.

1.6.2.1 Sample Size

Sampling size refers to the group of the population or items from the targeted population to be

studied (Bhardwaj, 2019). In the current research, the sample size chosen was 500 HR

Professionals from organizations across the north and south region of India. The sample size is

derived using Cochran’s formula at 5% level of significance i.e.

2
z ∗p∗(1− p)
n=
e2

2
1.96 ∗0.7∗(1−0.7)
N= =504.21≈ 504
0.04 2

Wherein,

n = sample size

z = confidence level Z score value (i.e. 1.96 at 95% confidence level)

e = desired level of precision or margin of error (i.e. 0.04)

The sample size of the study though is derived to be 504 but herein only responses from 500

employees were collected.

1.6.2.2 Sampling Type

In quantitative studies, the random sampling technique is used where each item or individual has

an equal probability or chance of being included (Taherdoost, 2016). The Random Sampling

techniques can further be of various types, namely – simple, stratified, cluster, systematic, and

multistage (Taherdoost, 2018). For the current study, simple random sampling was chosen as the

study will give each individual an equal chance of being included without any biases and it will

be an easy way of sampling. Simple Random Sampling helped the researcher choose 50 HR

professionals (10% of the total population=500) through the lottery system so that each

professional could get an equal chance of being chosen. Therefore, of the N size population, a

sample consisting of n individuals was chosen to justify the technique of simple random

sampling.

1.6.3 Questionnaire Design and Administration

This study involved a closed-structure questionnaire with data collected from regions of the

country, North, and South. 100 organizations from 2 regions with 50 organizations from each

region were chosen and the HR professionals were randomly selected. The questionnaire

consisted of three sections, namely – Demographics, Background, and Inferential. The

Demographic section included questions related to the identity of the individual including the
name, age, gender, income, qualification, years of experience, and association with the company.

The background section included questions related to the benefits of office and work-from-home

environments, the difficulties or challenges posed in both environments, and the skills of HR

Managers in managing the workforce before, during, and after COVID were discussed. The

inferential section included the questions related to the impact and challenges posed by HR

Professionals during the pre and post-COVID era were discussed that required them to answer

each question on a scale of 5 – ranging from 1 as Strongly disagree, 2 – disagree, 3 – Neutral, 4-

Agree and 5 – strongly agree to the statements. This questionnaire was formulated using

secondary papers and was distributed using Google Forms. Also, the questionnaire was based on

the existing reviews and was verified by the supervisor for its administration.

1.7 Pilot Test

The pilot test done here helped the researcher to make the research more valid and justifiable.

This section defines four parts of the Pilot test, viz: the Sampling strategy, Pilot test data

collection procedure, Pilot test data analysis, and their Findings.

1.7.1 Sampling strategy

The Sampling strategy used here was Simple Random Sampling as the method would give a fair

chance to every HR professional from the chosen organizations to be chosen without any biases.

The randomly chosen HR Professionals thus justified the technique of simple random sampling

as it conformed to the lottery system of choosing the names of 50 HR Professionals

In the current pilot study, the sample size (which is the number of respondents chosen out of a

given population) was 50 HR Employees working in organizations across the North, and South

parts of India. The sample size was chosen to be 50 as it was 10% of the overall sample. The data

here was collected using the Closed-end questionnaire attached as Annexure – 1. The data

collected from the HR Professionals across organizations included questions related to the Pre

and Post-COVID opportunities and challenges and how HRM functioned before, during, and

after the COVID era. To conduct the pilot study, the respondents were connected and informed

about the study and then they were allocated with questionnaire through Google forms and their

responses were collected.

1.7.3 Data analysis procedure

The Pilot data collected was then analyzed via the SPSS tool and the findings were valid,

reliable, and can be used to research the proposed Sample size. The demographic and

background analyses were done to review the demographical characteristics of respondents and

helped the researcher to analyze their knowledge level. Further, the reliability test with Cronbach

alpha was applied for each of the constructs to validate the efficiency of the statement.

1.7.4 Findings

The test was valid and reliable at each step as the findings were well-recorded and analyzed

using a valid Questionnaire and Cronbach alpha test respectively. The questionnaire could be

further used for the Data Collection method and the research was further proceeded by the

researcher.
1.8 Interview Data Collection Procedure

This section involved the process involving Qualitative data analysis, the ways the data was

collected through interviews for the given Targeted Population, the Sampling Plan, and the

Questionnaire used along with its administration.

1.8.1 Targeted Population

The targeted population refers to the group of people who are in the interest of the study. For this

study, the targeted population is HR Professionals in India as the study is based on Workforce

management during the pre and post-COVID era by HR Professionals.

1.8.2 Sampling Plan

It involves the Sampling size and the sampling type chosen to study the targeted population.

1.8.2.1 Sampling Size

The Sampling size for the study was 20 HR Professionals from organizations across the North,

and South parts of India. Since this part of the study was interview-based and involved a lengthy

process, a lesser number of professionals were willing to be a part of this study. So, 20

professionals could be made a part of the Qualitative study.

1.8.2.2 Sampling Type

The sampling type used in the process for the Qualitative data study was Interview

Questionnaire. Qualitative data is a non-numeral or descriptive form of data collected in the form

of words or sentences (Buchanan, 1981). The data collected through qualitative tools answer the

how and why of any program through the use of unstructured data collection methods

(Buchanan, 1981). Such data often captures the feelings or emotions of the people through the
use of tools of Qualitative data analysis. The tools used for the same are – focus groups, group

discussions, and interviews (Buchanan, 1981). Qualitative data is less structured and tends to be

of open-ended nature. It relies majorly on interactive interviews where the interviewees can be

interviewed several times to check the reliability of the data (Buchanan, 1981). The essence of

Qualitative data is that it evaluates the impact as it provides useful information for understanding

the processes behind the Quantitative study. It also backs the quantitative survey-based

questionnaire evaluation by helping the researcher generate hypotheses and clarifying the

findings of the quantitative evaluation (Buchanan, 1981). The current study involved

interviewing the HR professionals or HRM participants from organizations through an open-

ended questionnaire. Interviewing the HRM professionals helped in backing the Quantitative

data and gave an insight into the challenges posed by the HRM Professionals before, during, and

after COVID-19.

1.8.3 Questionnaire Design and Administration

The current study involved an open-ended interview questionnaire for studying the qualitative

aspects of the research. The questions were divided into two sections, demographic and theme.

The demographic section evaluated the questions related to name, age, gender, income,

occupation, and the profile of the sample. The theme section of the Questionnaire discussed the

challenges faced by HR Professionals during the pre and post-COVID era. Moreover, the

questionnaire was based on the existing reviews and verified by the supervisor. The study helped

in backing the Quantitative study and gave further insights for future research.
1.9 Data Analysis Procedure

This section includes the tools that were used for analyzing the data, the procedure followed to

analyze the data, and the validity and reliability of the data.

1.9.1 Tools and Methods of Data Analysis

Based on the aim and type of the study, some specific tools were required and used for data

analysis. For the Quantitative part of the data, the SPSS software was used. The procedure of

SPSS analysis included demographic and background analysis wherein the frequency was

analyzed along with inferential data analysis by correlation and regression methods. The

Quantitative analysis for the survey involved frequency analysis, correlation, regression, and

ANOVA as these are highly authentic methods of data analysis. The Qualitative part of the data

analysis was based on a thematic assessment of the interviews. The interviews were analyzed

using the content analysis method.

1.9.2 Hypotheses

H01: There are no significant factors affecting employees

Dependent Variable – Employee Performance

Independent Variable – Significant factors

H02: There is no impact of office working on employees

Dependent Variable – Employee work performance

Independent Variable – Office working

COVID-19

Dependent Variable – Workforce management

Independent Variable – Challenges borne by the HR team in pre COVID -19

H04: There is no impact of remote working on employees

Dependent Variable – Employee work performance

Independent Variable – Remote working

H05: There are no significant challenges borne by the HR team in managing the workforce in pre

COVID-19

Dependent Variable – Workforce management in Pre COVID – 19

Independent Variable – Challenges borne by the HR Team

H06: There is no support available for employees in Post COVID environment to overcome

challenges

Dependent Variable – Support for employees in Post COVID environment

Independent Variable – Challenges in Post-COVID Environment

1.9.3 Validity and Reliability

The validity of any data explains how well the actual area of the research or investigation has

been covered (Taherdoost, 2018). To maintain the Validity of the data, the researcher used a

Pilot study to test the validity of the questionnaire which was formulated on the existing data.
Reliability refers to the extent of the measurement to which the data collected and analyzed gives

stable and consistent results (Taherdoost, 2018). It also means that the data can be repeatable if

the research is conducted again. For the reliability of data, the research employed used the

Cronbach alpha test, It helped the researcher to get a reliable outcome on each step of data

collection and data analysis. Also, the validity and reliability of data obtained from secondary

sources have been ensured as an in-text citation and bibliographical references are added. Thus,

the outcomes derived from the study are valid and reliable.

1.10 Ethical Considerations

Research symbolizes the pillar of knowledge and carrying out any research work requires

abiding by the legalities and ethicalities involved with the same (Yip et al., 2016). The need for

ethical considerations is that the research is done on the people that can impact them emotionally

and psychologically. To minimize the harm of researching humans, it is important to consider

and practice ethics. Since the research conducted in the study involved collecting data from the

HR Professionals of highly reputed organizations, protecting their privacy and data was of

utmost importance. During the data collection procedure, the confidentiality of their

demographics and the recorded data was safeguarded all the time through password-protected

computer registrations and data storage. Moreover, it was ensured that the data was collected

with the most transparent means such that the respondents knew what was being recorded and

what purpose the study was being conducted for. It was also ensured that no specific names of

the employees by stating their names or any other personal information gets shared in the

research document. It was also ensured that the information gotten from the employees was used

as it was and no tampering of the data or manipulation was done. Also, wherever the data has
been extracted from secondary sources, due credit was given by mentioning their names in the

bibliographic referencing.

Besides the above ethical considerations, it was ensured that the respondents involved in the

research voluntarily participated and were not forced or pressured to take part in the research.

Additionally, the respondents were completely educated about the pros and cons related to the

research process and that their permission was obtained to part take in the research. Lastly, the

researcher took all the measures to not let the employees get into any other problems where their

identity or work gets hampered.

1.11 Summary

The current study employed the Positivism philosophy which was based on Epistemology and the

Method Research Paradigms. To collect the data, both Quantitative and Qualitative data

collection methods, close-ended questionnaires and open-ended interviews respectively were

used. The research methodology used helped in the effective implementation of the task at hand

and helped in the timely completion of the study. Lastly, the study was conducted with all the

prerequisites kept in mind while collecting the data and analyzing the same making sure the

validity and reliability of the study were completely addressed.

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