This special issue aims to advance the quality, diversity and understanding of qualitative research methods in management in the context of emerging markets (EMs). Professor Tian Wei initiated the idea of the special issue with the editor, Arie Lewin. From her observations, even though qualitative research has the merits for building new theories and exemplifying new phenomena by surfacing contextual idiosyncrasies (Bansal & Corley, 2011; Welch et al., 2011), there are only a few qualitative studies in EMs. However, the idiosyncratic phenomenon of EMs calls for more qualitative research to explore comprehensive insights and develop context-specific theories (Tsui, 2006). In order to encourage more qualitative research in EMs, a special issue on this topic is necessary and quite suitable for MOR, which has a contextual focus on China and all other transforming economies.

We received a vast number of submissions indicating the increasing interests in qualitative research in EMs. Out of this set of submissions, we accepted seven articles for publication in the special issue. These seven articles not only exhibit a range of methodologies including case study research, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), and qualitative interviews, but also a range of geographical contexts, namely China, India, Myanmar, and Russia. Based on these selected articles, our editorial essay considers issues around researching, theorizing and reporting context and methodology in EMs.

The purpose of this editorial essay is to inform the current debates on qualitative research in EMs. We suggest that qualitative research in EMs spans beyond context comparisons to include the study of unique phenomena that can set the building blocks for new or refined context-bound theories, indigenous theories, and contextualized explanations. We unpack the opportunities and challenges of qualitative research in EMs leading to the modification of existing methodological tools and creation of new instruments. This special issue explores and appreciates paradigmatic diversity of qualitative research in EMs. It also problematizes the monolithic understanding of EMs and acknowledges their diversity in terms of geographical location, population characteristics, cultural idiosyncrasies, institutional environments, and governance structures. This diversity invites context-sensitive thinking of EM phenomena and poses the dilemma of contextualization vs. generalization of empirical evidence.

The editorial essay has three distinct but interrelated main sections. In the first main section, we discuss qualitative research in EMs concentrating on challenges and recommendations for researching, theorizing, and reporting in two aspects: context and methodology. We summarize a table on recommendations for context and methodology in qualitative scholarship in EMs. In light of this discussion, the second main section provides an overview of all articles included in the special issue. We conclude with the way forward for qualitative (context-sensitive) research in EMs.

Read the ‘Doing Qualitative Research in Emerging Markets’ special issue from Management and Organization Review