This early-stage manuscript addresses challenges of organizational ethnography, emphasizing the immersion of researchers in the field to understand social dynamics from the perspective of those involved. While ethnography is praised for its nuanced descriptions, it also demands a delicate balance between involvement and detachment. The tension between closeness and distance is a significant challenge for ethnographers, and existing research often oversimplifies the dynamic nature of these relationships. We argue that ethnographers are neither fully engaged nor fully disengaged but precariously navigate involvement through a continuous process. We thus advocate for unpacking how ethnographers’ relationships with the field emerge and evolve over time, as this influences the research outcomes and encourages reflexivity in theorizing. Drawing on our own 3.5-year ethnographic study of a major change at a French public organization, this paper adopts a processual perspective for conceptualizing the ethnographic journey as an attachment-detachment process. Researchers manage the tension by attaching themselves to elements like the research purpose, key informants, and the organization involved. The bilateral nature of the attachment-detachment process is highlighted, nuancing a researcher-centered perspective. Our preliminary findings offer avenues for contributions to organizational ethnography, including insights into how ethnographers navigate the closeness-distance tension, a broader perspective on relationship construction with field actors, and an exploration of collaborative practices in balancing emotional commitment and professional distance.
