Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
writes these reports specifically for a limited audience—senior management.
The ethnographer can minimize this ethical dilemma by ensuring that all par-
ties are aware of the report's limited circulation from the outset. Participants
always expect implicitly that they will receive at least preliminary feedback,
however. The researcher can satisfy this expectation through a telephone call,
visit, or memorandum, but rarely can an administrative ethnographer add all
participants' names to the distribution list of a final report. In particularly sen-
sitive cases, such as unethical or illegal employee activity, to distribute the
findings to anyone other than the employee under investigation and appropri-
ate management personnel would be irresponsible.
Participants often share their organization's basic values. Most employees
share a common perception of the company's chain of command for distribu-
tion of management information. An unwritten understanding often exists
about levels of communication, and thus participants will not expect all infor-
mation to be public. This attitude also creates a dilemma, making significant
disclosures to the “wrong” level inappropriate or taboo from the viewpoint of
both management and staff.
As in all branches of research, the fundamental ethical question in ethno-
graphic research is, Who determines the means and ends of the research? In
the dropout study, however, this question was a nonquestion because the gov-
ernment was holding all the cards. The project and the study would not exist
without government support. Therefore, the ethical question was, Would this
study be a useful and productive research endeavor and would it inform the
public about a socially significant problem? Part of the answer hinged on
whether the government officials were open to the research findings—
wherever they led—or had already formed a political conclusion. As an admin-
istrative ethnographer, I would have had to decline the opportunity to partici-
pate in an effort in which the sponsor had a foregone conclusion; such an
exercise would perpetuate a scientific and moral fraud.
Action Ethnographers
Action ethnographers remove themselves from playing a power role as
much as possible; they simply conduct the research. The natives design and
implement the program or innovation. Sol Tax—the recognized originator and
developer of this approach—served the Fox Indians in this capacity (Tax,
1958). He was a catalyst for the Fox: He would clarify issues and list a variety
of options or alternatives for change in the community. The decision to imple-
ment a specific innovation or goal, such as changing the economic status of the
group, remained in the hands of the Fox. They also controlled the means of
making this change—for example, making and selling ceramic tiles.
