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Abstract

Interviews and focus groups are the mainstay of qualitative research, but may not capture fully the perspectives of participants when investigating complex social phenomena. Increasingly visual elicitation techniques, including Rich Pictures, are being utilised to further explore tacit perspectives. Two key questions around Rich Pictures were considered: ‘What are the affordances and constraints of using Rich Pictures to uncover tacit perspectives?’ and ‘Moving forward, how can we most effectively use Rich Pictures in future research?’ This case study answers these questions by reflecting on our experiences while conducting research into the complex social phenomena of leadership in health professions education. Through our reflections on using Rich Pictures, the research participants’ experience, and in-depth literature exploration of Rich Pictures, the affordances and constraints of this data collection tool are examined. Furthermore, the considerations needed when using Rich Pictures are expounded before providing a set of guiding recommendations for those considering using Rich Pictures in their qualitative research.

Keywords

arts based methods case study methods in qualitative inquiry oral histories interpretive description

Introduction

‘I Would Have Never Told You That’

When conducting qualitative research the main data collection methods utilise spoken language, such as interviews and focus groups (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000; Ribbins, 2007). However, interviews and focus groups rely on interaction with the researcher which can influence participants’ responses (Rees, 2018). Furthermore, spoken thoughts in response to interview questions may not allow participants the time and space to think and reflect about their responses (Cristancho, 2015; Rees, 2018). Additionally, when discussing complex social phenomena participants often neglect to focus on the emotions and relationships that have impacted on their experience and therefore perspectives may not be fully explored (Cristancho, 2015; Molinaro et al., 2021). So, how can these drawbacks associated with interviews or focus groups be addressed? Within health professions education there is a growing recommendation to utilise visual elicitation techniques (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Rees, 2018). Visual elicitation techniques include approaches such as concept maps, Pictor technique, photos and Rich Pictures, which are asserted to help participants reflect and reveal tacit perspectives that would not be revealed in an interview alone (Molinaro et al., 2021; Rees, 2018). Additionally, within leadership there is a growing movement to use arts-based approaches in both the development of leaders and researching leadership (Grisoni & Collins, 2012; Winther, 2018). It is argued that these arts-based approaches assist participants to reflect and express their emotional and cultural perspectives, which can be difficult to put into words (Gisby et al., 2023; Winther, 2018). Arts-based approaches that have been utilised include storytelling, poem houses, drama and dance (Grisoni & Collins, 2012; Winther, 2018). However, the use of Rich Pictures in investigating leadership is sparse and has recently been advocated as a way forward to understand the nuances of human resource development (Gisby et al., 2023). We focus here on the use of Rich Pictures as a visual elicitation technique to explore health professions education leadership as they are reported to be better than interviews alone for exploring individual perspectives, incorporating feelings and emotions, culture and context, whilst also maintaining anonymity (Amazonas et al., 2019; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019).

‘This Picture Is Talking A Lot’

What are Rich Pictures? Rich Pictures are participant drawings that are used as a tool in qualitative research to help participants explore their thoughts and feelings around a complex social phenomenon (Parrott, 2019). Rich pictures were first developed in the 1970s as part of soft systems methodology in engineering to help unpack problems in complex systems, where groups of two to six participants would draw their perspectives of problems and then through group discussion develop solutions (Checkland, 2000). Since then, Rich Pictures have been further developed to aid qualitative research through both group and individual drawings in diverse areas including experience of health issues and professional identity (Bell & Morse, 2013; Berg et al., 2017; Bood et al., 2019; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Molinaro et al., 2021). By drawing a picture, participants reflect on complex social phenomena and the researcher can capture deeper understandings and insights than would have been captured in an interview alone (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Parrott, 2019). A Rich Picture can capture the perspectives of participants by illustrating complex situations including people, places, feelings, ideas and actions (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Goebel et al., 2019; Grant et al., 2019). Cristancho et al. (2015) and Goebel et al. (2019) report the use of Rich Pictures also allows insight into the social, cultural and personal dimensions of a phenomenon. For the above reasons, we utilised the Rich Picture method as a data collection tool in researching the complex social phenomenon of health professions education leadership.

In this paper we explore the utility of Rich Pictures combined with interviews using our case study of exploring leadership in Health Professions Education (HPE). We begin with an outline of the research focus before detailing the methodology, methods and analysis used. We then provide an example of some Rich Pictures from our research prior to exploring the affordances and constraints of Rich Pictures, as well as the considerations that are necessary when deciding to use Rich Pictures as a data collection tool. Finally, we provide a set of recommendations for those who are contemplating using Rich Pictures in their research.

The Research Focus – ‘Perspectives of Being a Health Professions Education Leader in the Pacific’

We know that leadership is a complex social phenomenon that includes relationships, emotions, cultural and personal influences that requires relevant faculty development to nurture future leaders (Ramani et al., 2020; Sandhu, 2019); and effective HPE leadership is needed to foster change (Lieff & Yammarino, 2016; McKimm & Swanwick, 2013; Sandhu, 2019; Steinert et al., 2012). While faculty development initiatives to enhance leadership capabilities abound, they often lack foundations in theoretical frameworks and are mainly based on western contexts (Steinert et al., 2012; Sultan et al., 2019). Furthermore, most research investigating HPE leadership has relied on semi-structured interviews alone (Lieff et al., 2013; Lieff, 2010; Saxena et al., 2017; Sundberg et al., 2015; Torti et al., 2022), which may not have encapsulated the full story. Therefore, to further our understanding of HPE leadership in different cultures and contexts we needed to consider complementary data collection tools, such as Rich Pictures, to capture the nuances of leadership that cannot be portrayed in an interview alone.

HPE leadership is required in the Pacific (Kado et al., 2022a; Sweet et al., 2018), however, health professions education leadership from the cultural perspective of contemporary leaders in the Pacific is not currently described. In order to understand the cultural influence upon leadership styles or outcomes a non-verbal data collection method was desirable as spoken language may not be able to convey all the cultural contexts and meanings (Amazonas et al., 2019; Brocklesby & Beall, 2018; Lyon, 2020). The Rich Picture method affords participants the opportunity to depict the cultural, emotional and relational components that may not be revealed in an interview (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019). In addition, the positionality of the primary researcher (SK) was as neither an ‘insider’ nor ‘outsider’. The primary researcher (SK) had previously studied and worked with the participants but had no authority over them. This placed her in a unique position, where although the participants had rapport with the researcher (SK) they may also have been influenced by her or wanting to ‘say the right thing’. To ensure that the research participants were not influenced by this positionality the choice of Rich Pictures as a methodological tool was made to allow research participants to reflect and draw their perspectives on being a HPE leader in this unique context and culture, whilst being removed from the researcher (Brocklesby & Beall, 2018). Having established the need to study HPE leadership in a Pacific context, to guide future faculty development, we next describe the methodology, methods and data analysis employed in this research in more detail, before providing some examples of the Rich Pictures drawn.

Methodology and Methods Overview – How the Research Was Conducted

An interpretivist case study approach, using several data collection tools, was utilised to investigate the complex social phenomenon of HPE leadership (Bastalich, 2019; Crowe et al., 2011; Merriam, 1988; Stake, 1995). This approach was deemed appropriate because the findings are dependent on the context and perspectives of the participants (Baxter & Jack, 2008; Merriam, 1988). After receiving ethics approval, 10 health practitioners who had completed a health professions education degree and were in a position of leadership in a major Pacific University were invited as participants through purposeful sampling. These HPE leaders could provide in-depth and detailed information about the phenomenon under investigation. Seven HPE leaders volunteered to participate and provided written consent. They represented a range of disciplines and leadership positions, from committee chairs and department heads to Associate Deans and Deans. These HPE leaders were health professionals at consultant level in their field of medicine or dentistry and were currently employed by the University to educate both undergraduate and postgraduate health professionals. They had multiple clinical, educational and leadership roles in a low-resource setting, with a degree of political instability. This low-resource setting was characterised by a lack of funding, infrastructure and human resource, and the research was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through Rich Pictures initially, followed by Zoom interviews (due to COVID-19) and then participants used reflective journals over a period of 6 months to document their experiences with leadership. Data analysis of the Rich Pictures followed Bell et al.’s framework (Bell et al., 2016a, 2019) that comprises seven steps:

1. Locate Style – what context was the rich picture located in

2. Descriptive Features – colour, shapes, drawings

3. Primary Features – which are central, bold or big

4. Value Features – linkages between components

5. Low-level Interpretation – the overall picture

6. High level Interpretation – description given by the artist

7. Critical judgement – putting all the above together – is this a superficial or deep reflection? Did the participant engage with the activity?

This occurred alongside thematic analysis of written interview transcripts using Miles and Huberman’s approach (Miles et al., 2014) that consists of three linked stages or ‘streams’, i.e. data condensation, data display and data conclusion-verifying propositions.

Rich Picture – Data Collection Tool

The Rich Picture tool was used first in the data collection process to enable participants to draw their pictures without influence from the researcher. Rich Picture instructions were developed and discussed with colleagues before being piloted with a HPE leader who was ineligible for the study. The instructions provided (Appendix A) comprised an orientation to what a Rich Picture was, including an Open University link, the estimated time that the activity should take, and advice that all aspects about ‘Being a HPE leader’ could be included such as emotions, relationships, culture and environment. (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Parrott, 2019) Participants were encouraged to draw mainly pictures but were also allowed to annotate or draw arrows if needed. Paper and pens were provided (although they never reached the participants due to travel restrictions) and the leaders were encouraged to find a quiet space where they could reflect and think. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased workload of the participants they were given 4 weeks to complete the Rich Picture.

Once participants had completed their picture they were invited for a follow up interview at their convenience. The opening question was, ‘Tell me about your picture’ to allow them to fully explain the meanings they had represented, so that their perspectives were able to be expressed without influence. The remainder of the interview was guided by the main research question ‘What are the perspectives of Pacific health professions educators on being a health professions education leader?’ A sub-set of questions was used during the semi-structured interview to probe deeper into their perspectives and to explore other aspects of the pictures that had not been described in the initial explanation, such as ‘How do you see yourself as an educational leader in this picture?’ and ‘Are there any cultural elements?;’ the full interview guide is presented in Appendix B. In addition, we took the opportunity at the end of the interview to ask participants how they experienced drawing a Rich Picture which informed parts of this paper. Following the collection of Rich Picture data and the Zoom interviews the data was managed and analysed in the following ways.

Data Management and Analysis

Prior to the Zoom interview the Rich Picture was photographed and sent to the primary researcher (SK) so that both the participant and researcher could view the picture during the interview. The Zoom interview was recorded to the researcher’s laptop and then transcribed verbatim by the primary researcher (SK). Additionally, a research notebook was kept by the primary researcher to note down initial impressions and reflections directly after the Zoom interview and during the transcription process. After de-identifying the transcripts, by providing pseudonyms for the research participants and removing any other identifying comments, the transcripts were stored on the university’s data management site.

The Rich Picture data were analysed utilising Bell et al.’s (2016a; 2019) framework, as detailed previously, moving from identifying colours, main components and linkages, and looking at the picture as a whole, to then using high level descriptions from the participant to pull the analysis together during a process of critical engagement. The high level descriptions were analysed with the aid of NVivo software and utilised Miles and Huberman’s (Miles et al., 2014) approach which follows three distinct processes. First, data condensation began by ensuring data collected addressed the research question, followed by coding, writing memos and developing concepts. The second process of data display involved organising the codes and concepts to provide a summary and pictorial display identifying main ideas. Lastly the process of drawing and verifying conclusions illustrated the patterns, themes, explanations and propositions that explained the data and related to the research questions. There was a constant oscillation between coding, developing concepts, displaying the data, suggesting propositions and themes and then going back to the data. In addition, trustworthiness of data analysis was enhanced through discussing initial coding and development of themes with the two other researchers (SC and SC), and presenting the emerging findings to the research participants in a process of member checking.

Results – What Did They Draw and Explain?

In this section we provide six examples of Rich Pictures that were drawn alongside illustrative explanatory quotes. The six examples of the Rich Pictures illustrate the different ways participants interpreted the task of drawing a picture about ‘Being a Health Professions Education Leader’. Viewed on its own the Rich Picture provided some insight into the participant’s perspectives, however, with the addition of the participant’s explanation the Rich Picture took on more meaning enabling interpretation to remain true to the individual’s perspectives. These drawings provide examples of three types of pictures: holistic, representing multiple facets and elements; metaphorical, using an object to represent the phenomenon; and temporal, depicting a phenomenon as a journey over time (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019) Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Examples of rich pictures and quotes.

The findings from the data analysis were reported as composite narratives, combining the voices of multiple participants, and pictorial display to illustrate three styles of leadership identified in the Pacific HPE leaders. These three styles of leadership were represented as visual metaphors; The Bridge – assisting students from novice to competent, The Coconut Tree – multiple roles and standing firm in the storm, and The Boat – steering to the vision on the horizon (Kado et al., 2022b), however, their full description is beyond the scope of this paper. As we analysed the comments from the participants on their experience of doing Rich Pictures we reflected on the affordances and constraints of Rich Pictures as a methodological tool. The following section shares our reflections and insights of the utility of Rich Pictures, their affordances, constraints and considerations needed, peppered with the voice of the participants.

Reflections on Using Rich Pictures: Celebrations and Trials

After conducting the Rich Picture method we reflected on its affordances and constraints. We celebrated the success of the Rich Picture exercise and the insights gained but were also mindful of the trials we and the participants had faced. Many of the participants found drawing the picture challenging stating that they thought about it for a long while before they sat down to draw. Some drew two or three drafts before drawing their final version. All the participants found it enlightening and were surprised by the insights they discovered with one participant stating ‘I would never have told you this in an interview’ and another saying ‘Wow, this picture is really talking!’ The participants engaged fully with the Rich Picture activity, after reassurance about the quality of drawing required, and navigated the Zoom interview with ease. There appeared to be little negative influence of the online setting for the Rich Picture interview process. The ease of frequent face-to-face Zoom contact assisted the researcher continue to build rapport with participants and helped to clarify expectations of the participants. Others have similarly reported positive effects of conducting Zoom based interviews (Archibald et al., 2019; Gray et al., 2020) and this extra ‘distance’ may actually have enhanced the ability of the participants’ to express their perspectives without influence. This was all undoubtedly assisted because the participants were known to the researcher prior to the research process and rapport had been previously built. We now turn to consider in more detail the affordances of this qualitative method before reflecting on the constraints and how these may be overcome.

Affordances – The Celebrations

Utilising Rich Pictures as a qualitative tool for this research provided several affordances. These affordances included the ability of the participants to draw a picture without influence from the researcher and for tacit perspectives to be revealed, enabling the Rich Pictures to provide the basis for the visual metaphors to be developed. Each of these affordances will now be considered in turn.

In interpretive qualitative research we are aiming to understand the perspectives of the participants with minimal influence from the researcher (Bastalich, 2019). However, during an interview or focus group the questions are asked by a researcher and can direct the participants’ responses. Although, we aim to ask open ended questions and allow the participants to express their perspectives often there is a power imbalance and participants may feel pressured to answer in a way that will please the researcher (Ribbins, 2007). Additionally, the researcher may have biases in their own thinking which can impact the way they interact with a participant through both verbal and non-verbal cues (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2015). By using Rich Pictures participants can remove themselves further from the researcher’s influence (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019). Although the picture must be focused on the topic of interest it is left to the participants to draw their own picture from the prompt given. In our research the participants were removed from the researcher physically due to COVID-19 and therefore they had many days to think about and contemplate the topic before putting pen to paper. A period of contemplation could be considered in future research, especially as previous similar studies have provided the participants with the topic of interest and then only given them 20–30 minutes to draw a picture either in the presence of the researcher or in another room (Bood et al., 2019; Helmich et al., 2018; Ribeiro et al., 2021). By giving participants more time to think about their picture they may be able to generate a richer description of the meanings behind the picture. Indeed, several participants stated they had drawn two to three drafts before doing their final picture. For example Jane (pseudonym) commented that:

‘I had three other pieces of A3 paper that I started jotting points. I started out when I drew my person in the middle and all the things on the side, I thought it almost looks like a flower, but I don’t, I am not a florally person, I like the coconut tree because it just seems to be a lot more, it is a lot more cultural, it’s quite resilient, it’s all over the Pacific.’

In our research we found that the extra space and time without the researcher present allowed participants to think more deeply about the phenomenon of leadership and to create pictures of considerable richness.

Additionally, the Rich Pictures in this research enabled the participants to think about educational leadership in a different way, revealing tacit perspectives. It is postulated that logical thinking and talking are dominated by the left side of the brain whilst drawing and art are dominated by the right side (Cristancho, 2015). By being given the task of drawing a phenomenon it disrupts the linear thought processes. The participants reflected on how the drawing helped them think more deeply about being an HPE leader with Jeremiah reflecting:

‘One thing I have learned, straight after I had drawn these pictures, I was sitting at home looking at it again, sometimes you know maybe it’s a way, a better way of summarising ourselves as an educator, as a leader….doing some rich picture like this and I know that if I looked at it again tomorrow I might see a couple of new things again.’

In addition, several participants commented that they would not have thought of those perspectives in an interview. Hence, we found that the Rich Picture drawing allowed participants to reveal tacit perspectives that may have remained hidden in an interview alone.

As we analysed the pictures and transcripts we were able to visualise metaphors for the different leadership styles portrayed and realised the benefit of not restricting the participants to a type of picture. Although Armson (2011) discourages the use of visual metaphors and timelines in Rich Pictures, stating that it restricts the view to one image or a journey, we found that by not restricting participants to drawing a holistic picture allowed them the freedom to represent the phenomenon of leadership in a way that was more meaningful to them. We found that the participants’ interpretation and subsequent explanation were rich no matter what type of picture they decided to draw. There were a variety of pictures drawn from timelines of leadership journeys; holistic pictures incorporating many facets of educational leadership; and metaphors using a single image to depict being a leader, as illustrated in the results section. The descriptions of these pictures and the images that the participants had used subsequently facilitated the interpretation of the data and developed the visual metaphors of HPE educational leadership. Despite these affordances of participants being able to reflect without influence from the researcher, reveal tacit perspectives and draw a variety of Rich Pictures to represent their perspectives there were several constraints that need to be addressed.

Constraints – The Trials

The main constraint we identified while using rich pictures as a data collection tool in this research was that participants were concerned about their artistic ability and were therefore somewhat reluctant to draw a picture. The participants were also concerned that the task required a substantial amount of time.

It is well recognised that participants often feel hesitant to draw pictures as they feel they do not have good artistic abilities (Booton, 2018; Parrott, 2019). This was also true for our participants, even though they were leaders in their clinical disciplines. When it came to providing a picture many lacked confidence in being able to draw an adequate picture despite reassurances that artistic ability was not required (Armson, 2011). As can be seen from the examples of Rich Pictures provided in the results section the pictures were rich and provided the basis for the thoughts and meanings behind the drawings which were considered most important.

Although participants may find the task of drawing a Rich Picture challenging they later reflect that it is a useful exercise to have time to think, reflect and draw, and it allows them to discuss aspects in the interview that they would not have expressed otherwise (Cristancho et al., 2017; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019). All our participants were hesitant at first, however, after they had completed the drawing and interview they saw the benefits of the method. In this connection Julie stated:

‘I felt I couldn’t express in drawing because you know I wasn’t that good and so that is kind of why it is basic, but I think it actually made me think a lot. Yeah, and it was much easier I think to be able put it down like this first before meeting with you, so it was helpful.’

The hesitancy of participants can be partially overcome by developing rapport and a sense of trust. In this research the participants were known to the researcher prior to undertaking the research and therefore rapport had already been built which was of great benefit, and yet there was still significant reluctance in drawing a picture. Ensuring a psychologically safe environment where participants feel comfortable to draw is essential (Rudolph et al., 2014).

Inevitably, research also takes time and when we recruit participants we often give them an estimated time that they will need to commit. When we briefed the research participants we estimated that the Rich Picture would take 20–30 minutes (Helmich et al., 2018; Ribeiro et al., 2021), however, although this may be the actual time to draw the picture it is not the time needed to think about what to draw. Our participants spent a considerable amount of time thinking before drawing as illustrated by the comments of James and John:

James: It took me a good long while to think about, I actually drew my thoughts first on a rough paper to see if that was what I was really thinking and then I sort of modified when I put up the main one.

John: Well, I was thinking about it for a long time.

When considering the use of Rich Pictures as a research tool we need to be mindful of the burden we are placing on participants not only in their perceptions of their artistic ability but also in terms of the amount of time it will take them. Time can be seen as a double-edged sword in that with increased time we may obtain deeper, richer data, but on the other hand it may place an onerous burden on participants (Coleman & Briggs, 2007).

Although these two constraints can be overcome by reassuring participants about their artistic ability not being necessary and being honest about the time commitment the task may require, there are other considerations that need to be taken into account before embarking on using Rich Pictures as a qualitative data collection tool.

Considerations to Contemplate

Once the researcher has decided that Rich Pictures is a data collection tool that will align with the research question and methodology, and after bearing in mind the above affordances and constraints, there are several considerations about how the Rich Picture method may be used and analysed. During our research we considered providing an exemplar, providing pens and paper; and how to analyse the Rich Pictures. These three considerations are presented below and it is incumbent on the researcher to think about these carefully before embarking on the Rich Picture method.

Exemplars of a Rich Picture are often provided to participants to clarify expectations and reduce confusion about the task (Bood et al., 2019; Cristancho et al., 2015; Helmich et al., 2018). Undoubtedly, participants do need guidance on how to do a Rich Picture as they are often concerned about their artistic ability whilst still wanting to contribute meaningfully to the research (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019). Originally, we had developed an example of a Rich Picture unrelated to the topic, however, the format of the picture seemed to influence the participant drawing when piloted. Thus, it was decided to provide just written instructions and a link to an Open University U-tube video about Rich Pictures (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = eiCL29e_szA) to reduce the influence of the researcher on the participants. Fougner and Habib (2008) also found that participants were more reluctant to draw their own picture when provided with an exemplar from an insider researcher.

This dilemma of whether to provide an exemplar so that participants are reassured about the need for artistic ability and are guided in the type of picture they should draw, such as holistic as opposed to metaphorical or temporal, or only providing written instructions and information about Rich Pictures to allow participants to interpret the phenomenon in their own way will need to be weighed up. This will depend on the research question and outcomes. If the research is trying to find solutions to messy problems which is what Rich Pictures were originally developed for then encouraging a group to do a holistic picture and providing an example may be the best way forward.

Additionally, in our research we opted to provide the participants with A3 sheets of paper and a set of 12 coloured pens, as sometimes the use of colour has significance to participants. However, during our research the COVID-19 pandemic erupted at the stage of data collection and our participants were unable to collect their supplies. The participants were then encouraged to use whatever they had at home. Most used some coloured pens or pencils from their children and A4 pieces of paper as these were readily available. Two participants just used two or three colours or one ball point pen. One participant who did not have access to pen and paper used her computer drawing facility to design her picture. Armson (2011) suggests that using a computer to design the image does not allow for deep thinking and revealing tacit perspectives, however, we found that this did not impact on the depth of the interview or the images drawn. Perhaps with advanced technology and the provision of a stylo with a computer, the use of computer generated pictures can be further explored. In our research, we did not find a significant impact on the depth of the reflections depending on what modalities had been used to draw. We would postulate that it is the process of thinking about the drawing and illustrating the ideas that is important, rather than the particulars of how the drawing is created.

Once the pictures have been drawn there are several ways that Rich Pictures can be analysed. We chose to focus on the participants’ interpretation as our research was investigating the perspectives of HPE leaders. We did consider conducting a ‘gallery view’ by allowing participants to view each other’s pictures and interpret their meaning. This was logistically too difficult although may have led to some other important insights.

A ‘gallery view’ can be conducted with other participants who provide their interpretations of the pictures or it can be done by a team of researchers to see if the meaning making is the same across the team to increase the trustworthiness of the results (Bood et al., 2019; Ribeiro et al., 2021). This approach could also be utilised if explanations of the pictures have not been gathered, either because the pictures were collected and are subsequently being analysed without the participants present or there is a language barrier between the researcher and participant (Amazonas et al., 2019). This would be a researcher interpretation and may not reflect accurately the thoughts of the participant. Again, which method of analysis is chosen depends on the research question being asked. In our research we were primarily investigating the perspectives of leaders and therefore we needed to investigate their interpretations of their picture as the Rich Picture was used as a tool to uncover tacit perspectives. We used the data analysis framework conceptualised by Bell et al. (Bell et al., 2019) and Miles and Huberman (2014), as previously detailed, to analyse the pictures alongside the participant’s perspectives to critically engage and make meaning.

These three considerations of whether to provide an exemplar or not, the modality of the drawing, whether it be in colour, black and white or computer generated, and the issue of how to analyse the data are left to the researcher to decide in relation to their research question and the responses they are seeking. Additionally, research participants who may have language barriers with the researcher, whether this be due to age, language or disability will still be able to provide meaningful pictures, which can contribute to significant knowledge generation. Having considered the affordances, constraints and considerations of the Rich Picture method that we encountered, we now answer the two main questions and provide a series of recommendations.

Conclusions and Recommendations

We set out at the start of this paper with two questions: ‘What are the affordances and constraints of using Rich Pictures to uncover tacit perspectives?’ and ‘Moving forward, how can we most effectively use Rich Pictures in future research?’ From our research and the literature on Rich Pictures we have identified that the affordances are that firstly, Rich Pictures allow people to think in a non-linear way to reveal tacit perspectives and depict emotions, relationships, culture and context in complex social situations (Cristancho, 2015; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Gisby et al., 2023). Second, they can be used in a variety of cultural contexts or situations where verbal interactions may be difficult (Amazonas et al., 2019; Bell et al., 2016b) and third they allow participants the space and time to reflect and draw about complex social situations which provides the researcher with more nuanced perspectives around the phenomenon being investigated (Bood et al., 2019; Helmich et al., 2018). However, as with any method, there are constraints to the Rich Picture method, namely that participants often feel reluctant to draw due to their perceived lack of artistic ability and that the time to reflect and draw may place a heavy burden on participants (Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Gisby et al., 2023). The benefits need to outweigh the costs for both researcher and participant.

For future consideration, how can we most effectively use Rich Pictures? We have identified that attention needs to be given to the appropriateness of the research tool to the investigation. Rich Pictures are particularly useful for messy social situations where there is a need to investigate the influences on social interactions and their outcomes (Berg et al., 2017; Bood et al., 2019; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019). Furthermore, Rich Pictures can be used in professional development to encourage reflective practice and gain insights to tacit perspectives that can affect professional performance (Fougner & Habib, 2008; Molinaro et al., 2021). In addition, the development of the tool, what type of picture you want participants to draw and with what modality (coloured pens, pencil), and instructions need to be piloted as often participants are anxious about their performance and clear guidance is required (Conte & Davidson, 2020; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019; Molinaro et al., 2021). This brings us to the need for rapport building as an essential element for the success of Rich Pictures, especially if the research is investigating sensitive issues (Berg, 2015). Finally, prior to the research starting, the type of analyses that will be conducted needs to decided (Bell et al., 2016a; Cristancho & Helmich, 2019).

These affordance, constraints and considerations are now summarised by providing the following recommendations for researchers and educators who are considering using Rich Pictures. These recommendations reflect what we learnt form the research process and the literature to offer a guide to using Rich Pictures as a qualitative data collection tool.

1. Ensure Rich Pictures is an appropriate qualitative tool for your research question.

Rich Pictures is a valuable qualitative tool for messy social investigations where relationships, emotions and cultural context will have an impact on knowledge and actions. They are useful to reveal tacit perspectives and disrupt thinking, allowing a deeper, richer exploration of perspectives around a social phenomenon. However, participants can be reluctant to engage in the activity and it is time consuming for both the participants and researchers.

2. Pilot your research question and Rich Picture orientation to ensure the task is understood.

Piloting the research method is highly recommended to ensure a typical participant is able to understand the instructions and draw a picture that is useful to the researcher. Colleagues can also provide feedback on first drafts prior to the piloting.

3. Develop rapport and trust with your participants.

Developing rapport and trust is essential if participants are going to reveal tacit perspectives and not just superficial understandings, especially if there is a confronting emotional component to the research question. The psychological safety of your participants is paramount both from a humanistic and ethical standpoint.

4. Decide on the modality of the drawing.

Deciding on the modality of the drawing in the research development stage is necessary. Will this be a drawing done by individuals or by a group of participants? Are you investigating individual perspectives or trying to understand a team issue or relationship? Will you provide paper and pens or suggest what art supplies participants should use or leave it up to the individual to decide what they are most comfortable using? What type of drawing are you wanting participants to draw? Holistic, metaphorical or timeline.

5. Orientate participants to the Rich Picture method.

Orientating participants to the Rich Picture method is critical. Many people will not be aware of the method and may feel uncomfortable drawing a picture. Provide written guidelines and access to resources such as the Open University videos and allow time for participants to clarify the task and ask questions.

6. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of providing an exemplar.

Consider carefully providing an exemplar and how it may influence participant’s’ drawings or help them feel more comfortable with the drawing task. Contemplate trialling both modalities, with or without an exemplar, in the pilot stage.

7. Reassure participants that artistic talent is not a requirement.

Reassuring the participants that the quality of the drawing is not important is vital as many perceive themselves to be poor artists. It is the thoughts and meanings behind the pictures that you are interested in, not a beautiful piece of artwork.

8. Consider the time frame for doing the picture.

Will they do it straight away followed immediately by an interview? Will you allow them to take it home and follow up later? Consider the time needed to think, reflect and draw the picture and the burden you will be placing on your research participants.

9. Decide how are you going to analyse the Rich Pictures.

Will there be a gallery viewing by either participants or researchers so that others can comment on their interpretation of the picture? Will you analyse the Rich Pictures alone or in combination with an interview? Again, be guided by your research question.

10. Be reflexive and draw your own Rich Picture to gain insights.

Researcher reflexivity is essential to ensure our biases are minimised. By using the rich pictures of participants as a guide the use of visual metaphors may help understand the data at a deeper level and represent it in a way that is meaningful to the research consumers.

In conclusion this paper has explored why interviews may not always allow tacit perspectives to be revealed and how visual elicitation tools such as Rich Pictures can help reveal social, cultural, emotional and personal dimensions of a phenomenon. Through the case study of investigating the perspectives of being a HPE leader in the Pacific we have explained how we used Rich Pictures in an interpretivist case study. The examples of the Rich Pictures drawn by our participants illustrated the variety of ways Rich Pictures can be drawn: holistic, metaphorical and temporal. We then considered our reflections on the use of Rich Pictures in qualitative research from our perspective and that of the participants. Drawing on those reflections and the literature we considered the affordances of reduced influence from the researcher on the participant, the ability to reveal tacit perspectives and how all types of drawings can help make meaning and allow the researcher to be more reflexive. The constraints identified were participant concerns over artistic ability and the burden of time the task may impose. Further, there were several considerations to bear in mind: Should an exemplar be provided? What artistic medium will be used? How will the pictures be analysed? With these reflections and insights we have left the reader with a series of recommendations for utilising Rich Pictures in future qualitative research.

Supplemental Material

Supplemental Material - ‘I Would Have Never Told You that’ – Using Rich Pictures as a Qualitative Tool to Uncover Tacit Perspectives on Leadership

Supplemental Material for ‘I Would Have Never Told You that’ – Using Rich Pictures as a Qualitative Tool to Uncover Tacit Perspectives on Leadership by Sinead Katherine Kado, Simon Clarke, and Sandra Carr in International Journal of Qualitative Methods

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the research participants who completed the Rich Pictures in this research.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship for Sinead Kado.

ORCID iDs

Sinead Katherine Kado

Sandra Carr

Supplemental Material

Supplemental material for this article is available online.

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