Researcher Positionality & Identity Validation: A Case Study in Organizational Friction over the Framing of a Demographic Questionnaire

Abstract

This case study, co-authored by junior and senior members of a design-research organization, examines internal friction that arose from junior researchers proposing to expand the sex and gender options on a data collection tool. This proposal blossomed into a larger debate around researcher positionality and the intended purpose of the data collection tool. This case study traces how the organization navigated this friction, outlines the literature they used to anchor their debate, and summarizes the language and practice standards ultimately adopted by the team. This discussion, occurring over several months, was complex and challenging, particularly within an organization that valorizes transparent, collaborative, and human-centered decision-making. We believe this case study, showcasing the researchers' efforts to navigate these sensitive issues, holds value for other researchers and organizations negotiating not just specific demographic terms, but differing understandings of roles and identities held by early-career and late-career researchers.