Exploring HRM Discourse Online: Integrating Author-Topic Modeling and Qualitative Methods

This paper proposes an integrative methodology for investigating how the development of the institutional field of (digital) HRM is influenced by the social media interactions of various actors. We integrate author-topic modeling, grounded theory, and critical discourse analysis to simultaneously zoom-out to detect macro-level patterns in online interactions and zoom-in to understand the micro-level actions that shape them. This integrative methodology provides interpretative depth while mitigating subjectivity through pattern recognition, which in our case example yielded fresh insights into the evolving field of digital HRM. We contribute by showing how researchers can study digital interactions which are increasingly pivotal in shaping social and organizational outcomes, offering a systematic process for combining the strengths of computational, thematic and discourse analysis methodologies.