Introducing “navigating failure in ethnography”: a forum about failure in ethnographic research

Purpose The authors introduce a recurrent section for the Journal of Organizational Ethnography which scrutinizes the various manifestations and roles of failure in ethnographic research. Design/methodology/approach The authors peruse a wide body of literature which tackles the role of failure in ethnographic research and draw on the experiences to argue for a more sustained and in-depth conversation on the topic. Findings “Failure” regularly occurs in ethnographic research, yet remains under-examined. Increased discussion on the topic will enrich debates on methodology and fieldwork in particular. Originality/value While various scholars have commented on the role of “failure” in ethnographic research, an in-depth and sustained examination of the topic is lacking.