In social sciences "power" is a difficult concept to grasp. I am doing research on employee empowerment in digital work environments. However, for some reason it seems difficult to find alternatives to discourse analytical work to analyze my - predominantly - textual data (generated through semi-structured interviews).
Yes, any of the accepted qualitative analysis approaches may serve to help you organize the data provided by your interviiew transcripts, with the choice at least in part guided by the specifics of what you want to know and the structure of the initial interview guide.
I would suggest that you need to define "empowerment" clearly (unless your interest is in how your informants define the term)- it is a kind of "squishy," "trendy" notion that may not even have much to do with "power." For one, it would seem to deny agency, as the "em" implies that any resulting power gain come from the actions of others.
I agree with Andrea that you should feel free to use any approach to qualitative analysis that helps you make sense of your data.
Perhaps you could begin with a very simple definition of power (such as, "the ability to control others' outcomes") and then find every instance in your data that relates to that.
I reviewed theoretical perspectives of power in my PhD (on my page) to generate a power theory map. I argue that power has three elements - ability, potential and sense of being. Most organisational research only ever looks at ability but what you might be capable of and how you feel about your situation are important forces.
I agree with others that a) nothing you have said excludes particular methodologies, and b) it would be useful to define central concepts.
What struck me is that you have not said what you want to find out about empowerment, ie what exactly is your research question. Clough and Nutbrown (2002) argue that once this is well understood, the choice of methodology becomes inevitable. They offer a very useful process of refining your own critical awareness of what it is you are trying to research.
The best way I've found to summarize this is to ask, "what kind of knowledge will you have once you have completed your study that you don't have now?" Ideally, this comes before data collection (!!), but it seems like it is still a useful question for you to address if you haven't done so already.
Clough P and Nutbrown C, (2002), A student’s guide to methodology, London: Sage.
In addition to previous posts here some questions which arised, when reading your initial question. Despite the necessity to clarify 'your' concept of power, i was wondering if powerrelations are the problem you are dealing with. Like Peter put it, what will you know when you have completed your study.
So, what is your research on "empowerment of employees in digital work environments" about? Is it about gaining competencies in order to handle the specific requirements of digital work (e.g. how to coordniate teams working in different time zones) Or is it about practices of work in digital environments where you have to develop different communication skills than in 'analogue' workplaces. Or, last guess, are you interested in empowering employees according to the ability to organize themselves as workforce. These guesses are dealing with powerrelations but also with them problem of organizing knowledge, the change of organizations in the light of digilization and the change of interactional practices. Methodological you are free (if you keep in mind that semi-structured interviews are limited in their explanatory power).
Maybe Michael Mann's approach to power, shaped as institutionalized networks of action could be helpful for your study. Or for a foucaultdian inspired perspective on work and power the works of McKinlay and especially in the context of workplace and the connex of power and agency the works of Crozier and Friedberg.
Crozier, Michel, und Erhard Friedberg. 1980. Actors and systems: the politics of collective action. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Mann, Michael. 1988. The sources of social power 1. A history of power from the beginning to A.D. 1760. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge Univ. Press.
McKinlay, Alan, und Ken Starkey. 1998. Managing Foucault: Foucault, Management and Organization Theory. Sage.
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