Quali-Heroes: A Joint Exploration of a Health-Oriented Qualitative Research Working Group – Inspired by Collaborative Autoethnographies

Qualitative research working groups (QRWs) were formed alongside the development of grounded theory and are now an established part of maintaining quality and promoting reflexivity in interpretation for qualitative data and research. Despite increasing numbers of QRWs in the German-speaking context, what constitutes a QRW and how it works remains still unclear. Using the method of collective autoethnography, members of a QRW at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany analyzed their own working processes, experiences and perceptions. During the initial data collection (March 2022-May 2023), individual fieldnotes were written by QRW members in regular monthly meetings, then analyzed into a personal meta-summary of each person’s documentation. Collectively, meta-summaries were analyzed as a group and documented into a collaborative summary, interpreted by two authors, then refined in the collective QRW. Five main categories were developed: 1) Motivation – A regular participation is shaped by being methodological co-conspirators in a supportive environment; 2) Collaboration – Finding commonality while navigating inter-group roles and dynamics; 3) Benefits – Derived from critical assessment of our work and simultaneous increase in knowledge and experience; 4) Challenges – Stemming from contention in the degree of necessary structure or interpersonal factors; 5) Key features of a good QRW – Finding the balance between achieving work goals and welcoming environment. Overall, these findings underscore that the structure and openness of a QRW provides a consistent and secure space for encouragement and constructive critique. While group dynamics affect the working constellation and group continuity, discussions provide a resonance space for professional and experiential transformation. By addressing methodological challenges and questioning familiar ways of thinking, the transformation of participants into “Quali-Heroes” ultimately improves both the quality of research and the collective practice of qualitative inquiry.