ABSTRACT
We argue for the merits of adopting an emergent research design. By this we do not mean starting with a completely blank slate in terms of the empirical phenomenon, theory, and/or methods when entering the field. Instead, we are referring to the ability and willingness to continuously respond to emerging puzzles, ideas, and insights in a flexible and adaptive manner and not feel straitjacketed by the initial framing and research design. This, in turn, depends on the adoption of a highly reflexive stance towards our theories, empirical surroundings, and methodologies. It involves not just the search for answers but also, importantly, for profound questions throughout the entire research process as well as the willingness to exploit new, and potentially hitherto neglected or underexplored, avenues. Drawing on “confessional tales” – revision and resubmission journeys of each author that led to the publication of academic papers, we argue that an emergent research design offers potentially high rewards and that some of the biggest risks can be effectively managed. We believe it is beneficial for the scholarly community to take an emergent research design seriously rather than simply treat it as an aberration or a collection of mistakes that may ultimately and unwittingly contribute to important and interesting theoretical insights that are accepted as worthy of publication.
