The Celebration of Barney Glaser: A Personal Perspective

Abstract

Over 30 years ago, whilst I was running the PhD research methodology program in the University of Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow Scotland, I first met with Barney Glaser. I had just had a book published with two other authors entitled “Management Research. ” The publishers, Sage [to save money], had produced a double-sided flyer to promote the book. On one side of the flyer was our book and the flip side was another book authored by Evert Gummesson from Stockholm University. Neither Evert nor I had ever met so we independently decided to contact each other for a future possible collaboration. During the course of our conversations, it emerged that Evert was a friend of Barney Glaser and had been his guest at his home in Mill Valley California. I asked Evert to forward Barney’s contact details because I wanted to invite him to Scotland so that he could give a seminar to the PhD researchers and faculty in the Strathclyde University Business School in Glasgow. It is worth remarking that it was Evert, a few years later, who successfully proposed to Stockholm University that Barney be awarded an honorary doctorate for his services to research methodology. Although Barney has no idea who I was he immediately said yes to my request to coming to give a seminar providing two conditions were met.