Organisational Role Conflicts and Researcher's Role Conflicts Exposed Using Ethnographic Explorations of a Case Study

Organisational control of a public housing institution (the Crust) was exposed using interpretive methodology. Information was obtained from extensive interviews of key personnel. It was found that, control of the organisation was influenced by the control of the accounting information system. Further, the control was exercised by one particular person through stifling the development of the computerisation of the AIS. The development of the AIS highlighted the conflict of the Crust's roles (of helping to house people and to conduct itself in a business like manner). The methodology employed is reflective and highlighted contradictions and conflicts of the author's role as an "objective" researcher and a story teller. The parallels of the organisation and the author's conflicts demonstrates the advantage of ethnography as an enriching research methodology.