Informants

An informant is a person who has specialized knowledge and/or expertise about a particular culture or members of a group. Researchers identify informants early on during the research process as a means to gain access, information, and ongoing feedback during the collection and gathering of data for interpretation. Informants are those individuals who have been a member of a culture for some time, built relationships with others from within the culture, and are knowledgeable about what other members may think, feel, and believe. Informants, if based upon the aforementioned criteria for selection, should be very familiar with organizational processes, culture, and climate. Informants are also sometimes referred to as gatekeepers or insiders of an organization. These individuals, for example, control the flow of ...