Negotiating insider research through reactive collaboration: challenges, issues and failures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which reactive researcher collaboration helps manage some challenges present insider research. Design/methodology/approach Employing (auto)biographical reflections from across two different case-studies, authors explore enmeshed with issues associated researching familiar a marketized university environment. Findings develop term “reactive collaboration” research projects have deal range within their own community. Reactive as much about solidarity it reacting anticipated and unanticipated events during process (and how inside researchers do not them). highlights successes well failures negotiating complex situations. Originality/value show occurs challenging environments, including joys, sorrows failures. argue that benefits can be helpfully crystalised through collaboration.