Benefits of Boredom: An ‘Interlopers’ Experience of Conducting Participant Observation on the Production Line

Embracing a lyrical style of writing , the paper discusses the advantages of conducting participant observation and calls for its increased use in business and management research , especially the field of human resource management (HRM) . In a sector dominated by quantitative research methods , we are left with many unanswered questions about organisational life . While surveys have provided us with an abundance of ‘hard’ data , it has resulted in a lack of depth and understanding around the employee experience . Reflecting on a research project that explored the concept of high‐performance work systems (HPWS) , the paper discusses a chance opportunity to undertake participant observation and how the experience not only changed the focus of the research project but provided a depth and understanding currently missing from the HRM/HPWS paradigm . Structured around ‘lessons learnt’ , the paper calls for methodological eclecticism and hopes to encourage others to become ‘interlopers’ and embrace the benefits of conducting participant observation .