A Note on Method

Abstract

A substantial part of this book (that is, most of Chapters 3, 4 and 7 and much of Chapter 5) consists of the results of “qualitative research”.¹ We have sought to understand the experiences of men and women already on boards and women seeking board positions, by talking to them, rather than trying to measure that experience and capturing it in numbers. We’re acutely aware of the dangers inherent in this approach, especially with regard to the stance that the researcher adopts to questioning, interpreting and the whole process of enquiry. We employed procedures designed to minimize, or at the least hold up to public view, any factors that might skew the results in the direction our preconceptions dictated.