Regrounding grounded theory or reinforcing old prejudices? A brief reply to Bryant

Abstract

This article extends the debate on grounded theory method (GTM) commenced by Bryant (2002). It discusses the charges of 'phenomenalism' and 'naive inductionism', that Bryant levels at GTM, and asks if they are fair criticism of the method, or reinforcing prejudices about GTM that might hinder its take up in the field of information systems research. In particular, the article considers the idea of the researcher using GTM as a 'blank slate' with no preconceptions, and finds this idea not to be supported in the GTM literature. The central paradox of GTM, as a subjective coding process which also claims to systematic is also discussed. The article concludes with some suggestions for IS researchers using GTM, and also questions how much GTM is actually used for theory generation in IS.

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