Hello Reinaldo, 

Yes, the word impact has been, and can be utilized in qualitative research within the proper context. The words ‘impact’, ‘influence’, and  ‘effect’ are often listed in dictionaries as synonyms for each other.  And yes, many qualitative researchers tend to shy away from the usage of such wording because of the association with quantitative variables. However, there are contexts in which this language and perspective in qualitative research is suitable for exploration.

For example, I noted in my dissertation, that in previous studies, and dissertations interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) has been used to investigate impacts related to a particular phenomenon, (such as the impact of a health condition, natural disaster, or changing economy), may have on participant wellbeing, or relationships.

Simply put, people are ‘impacted, influenced, or affected’ by events or phenomenon everyday--And when we do not yet understand the impacts of a phenomenon, one way to seek knowledge is start by asking those who have lived through such an event (new medical condition, specific natural disaster) how they were affected by having gone through that particular experience. That being said, researchers must be careful to design their studies so they follow the tradition of the research approach chosen, and wording in qualitative research is very important. For example, with IPA, one has to be mindful not to solicit implied impacts by wording of your research and interview questions, but instead seek to understand the participants experiences and meanings they associate with their experiences.

(you mentioned case studies, so a good starting place would be to take a look at other case studies) 

 Here are a few example articles to consider. (These are from an IPA and health psychology perspective because my research involves a health and environmental lens, but you will have to examine the available literature from the perspective and applicability to your study.)

 The impact of obesity surgery and the paradox of control: A qualitative study.

(Ogden, J., Clementi, C., & Aylwin, S. (2006). Health, 21, 273-293).

How does being HIV impact on personal relationships?

(Jarman, et al., 2005)

Qualitative study on the impact of falling in frail older persons and family caregivers: foundations for and intervention to prevent falls.

(Faes MC, Reelick MF, Joosten-Weyn Banningh LW, Gier Md, Esselink RA, Olde Rikkert MG)

I had to articulate and show justification for using a similar application in my research, and support it with literature. You will have to as well. After reading the literature and making a determination whether or not the use of the word impact is appropriate for your study, I would like to suggest that you consider crafting a definition of the word “impact” as it applies to qualitative research, and include it in your study for clarification. I did so for my work, and if you decide to go this route and would like to continue to discuss this further you may contact me at [email protected]

Very Best of Luck to you.

EM

Dear Reinaldo,

I have seen "impact" used in quantitative studies, but I was disallowed from using that word from my chair. What I have done is look at other GCU quantitative dissertations to see what terms they used.

In your case, I searched the GCU dissertations and found that they used the word "characterize" in a qualitative study (Smith, 2015). You may be able to find one more recent, since the rubric has changed since 2015. The nearest date you can get will justify to your committee what terms you can use. Good luck!

Smith, T. M. (2015). A qualitative historical case study of united states surgeon general leadership (Order No. 3687602). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ Grand Canyon University. (1669495268). Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/docview/1669495268?accountid=7374

Qualitative research is often used to explore how things work and to find explanations. As you mentioned 'phenomenon' you maybe refer to the phenomenologic methodology? 

Phenomenology aims to explore how subjects experience the phenomenon under study. In this way influences of and on the phenomenon can be identified and described.

Maybe a phenomenological approach can help you to redefine your topic and problem statement. 

If you would like I can provide some references on this kind of research.

Success with your research.

Your statements so far are rather confusing. You don't seem to know what you're asking. Let's assume that you're attempting to perform a case study of a specific non-profit organization. First, why would that be strictly qualitative? Secondly, organizational effectiveness is usually not a phenomenon but just a result to be measured somehow. Depending on the details of that result, the cultural climate and performance practices of the organization may be affected. As part of the initial phase of your case study, you should define the organization's existing cultural climate and performance practices, of course, to see if any changes are evident and/or warranted in later phases. Naturally, the cultural climate and performance practices of any organization will influence that organizational's performance, and changes in organizational performance can impact the future cultural climate and performance practices. I suggest you sharpen your thinking and reword your problem statement. Using words like impact or influence are quite legitimate if they are used properly.

Yes I agree with the previous comment - your question is not clear and in fact it feels like you need to reverse the order as the effectiveness of an organisation is, for example, influenced/determined by the cultural climate and support of employees and empowering practices. Rethink your key concepts and what influences/informs/determines what.

I am not sure that anything like 'impact' maybe measured via qualitative studies. It looks like you may describe some practice within the performance of a non-profit organization.

Anyway, it will be valuable to understand  what do you mean by 'impact' and 'organizational effectiveness', what kind of  qualitative studies are you going to employ?

Hello Reinaldo, 

Yes, the word impact has been, and can be utilized in qualitative research within the proper context. The words ‘impact’, ‘influence’, and  ‘effect’ are often listed in dictionaries as synonyms for each other.  And yes, many qualitative researchers tend to shy away from the usage of such wording because of the association with quantitative variables. However, there are contexts in which this language and perspective in qualitative research is suitable for exploration.

For example, I noted in my dissertation, that in previous studies, and dissertations interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) has been used to investigate impacts related to a particular phenomenon, (such as the impact of a health condition, natural disaster, or changing economy), may have on participant wellbeing, or relationships.

Simply put, people are ‘impacted, influenced, or affected’ by events or phenomenon everyday--And when we do not yet understand the impacts of a phenomenon, one way to seek knowledge is start by asking those who have lived through such an event (new medical condition, specific natural disaster) how they were affected by having gone through that particular experience. That being said, researchers must be careful to design their studies so they follow the tradition of the research approach chosen, and wording in qualitative research is very important. For example, with IPA, one has to be mindful not to solicit implied impacts by wording of your research and interview questions, but instead seek to understand the participants experiences and meanings they associate with their experiences.

(you mentioned case studies, so a good starting place would be to take a look at other case studies) 

 Here are a few example articles to consider. (These are from an IPA and health psychology perspective because my research involves a health and environmental lens, but you will have to examine the available literature from the perspective and applicability to your study.)

 The impact of obesity surgery and the paradox of control: A qualitative study.

(Ogden, J., Clementi, C., & Aylwin, S. (2006). Health, 21, 273-293).

How does being HIV impact on personal relationships?

(Jarman, et al., 2005)

Qualitative study on the impact of falling in frail older persons and family caregivers: foundations for and intervention to prevent falls.

(Faes MC, Reelick MF, Joosten-Weyn Banningh LW, Gier Md, Esselink RA, Olde Rikkert MG)

I had to articulate and show justification for using a similar application in my research, and support it with literature. You will have to as well. After reading the literature and making a determination whether or not the use of the word impact is appropriate for your study, I would like to suggest that you consider crafting a definition of the word “impact” as it applies to qualitative research, and include it in your study for clarification. I did so for my work, and if you decide to go this route and would like to continue to discuss this further you may contact me at [email protected]

Very Best of Luck to you.

EM

I thought for a while on the use of the word "impact" in everyday discourse. In some cases one could associate it to a bang ("big bang"), then the next question could be, "how big is a bang?", then evoking a sense of measuring. Hence in my view the word has a larger inclination and association with quantitative studies. However, when used in a qualitative study I guess a student will have to spare a section in their dissertation to explain how the word is used in their study, or to explain to the reader how the word "impact" should be understood (conceptualized) in the context of a qualitative project. Therefore it will be important to explain the word "impact" in the study, how it is used and how it should be understood.