Inductive Qualitative Content Analysis: An Exercise for Aspiring Managers

Management educators are called to develop students who can use data to inform decisions and actions. Yet much of the organizational evidence that managers rely on (e.g., employee feedback, evaluations, interview transcripts, and open-ended survey responses) is qualitative, and many managers lack training in analyzing it. Qualitative data provides a rich source of actionable insights for managers who have the tools to analyze, interpret, and evaluate it. With the proliferation of electronic texts and AI tools, understanding the fundamentals of qualitative data analysis is more important than ever. This article shares experiential activities for teaching business students inductive qualitative content analysis. Instructors can use these activities in Organizational Behavior or Human Resources Management courses, where applying the method to course topics such as evidence-based management, employee engagement, satisfaction, retention, culture, or performance management deepens students’ understanding of the course content while developing their capacity to make data-informed decisions.