ABSTRACT

This chapter presents some lessons learnt researching specific type of powerful people that are the family business owners/ leaders/management, or, as Farazmand defines them, microoperational elites, or managerial elites. The focus is on the direct experience of accessing powerful people which has been, and remains, “a source of constraint on studies of elites”. Initially, a short overview on how powerful people/elites traditionally have been, and are, designated and researched is presented. A vign ette from the author’s PhD reflexive research diary on accessing powerful research subjects is illustrated and discussed. Later, the issue of identification with the research subject’s values is addressed. The chapter concludes with a few ideas on some dilemmas and tensions researchers need to be aware of when working psycho-socially with powerful people.