Formulating a research question

Reflections from finding the right words.

It only took about 25 iterations of my question to land on the simplicity of

"Can empathy in leaders be developed by portrait painting?

For 2 months as I headed into lectures on a Friday afternoon, I thought I had it nailed. Each Friday afternoon I would leave class with more questions than answers, and the more I read the less I knew. As I looped my supervisor in, the one question always offered was, "Is that one step too far?"

It took a 3-hour call with a client one afternoon for an image to appear and the realisation that 'even small pebbles have a ripple effect". With the question peeled back, it was possible for clarity in the process to appear.

With my research proposal submitted and a final grade waiting for confirmation, it would be accurate to say that I feel like I am emerging from the dark!

Two things I have found out about myself while working through this process; I am an Interpretivist researcher and understanding is more important than knowing.