Table of Contents
About the Authors viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xiii
Part I Foundations 1
1 Introducing Action Research 3
A brief introduction to action research 3
Three audiences/voices/practices 5
Enacting action research cycles 7
The action research cycles 8
Pre-step: context and purpose 8
Main steps 9
Meta learning 11
Quality and rigour in action research 14
Conclusions 16
Exercise 1.1 Enacting the action research cycles 17
2 Learning in Action 18
Knowing and learning 19
General empirical method 22
Authenticity 23
Reflection 24
Developing reflective skills through journaling 27
Second person skills 29
Conclusions 31
Exercise 2.1 First person learning in action 32
Exercise 2.2 Keeping a journal 33
Exercise 2.3 Developing inquiry skills 34
3 Understanding Action Research 35
Action research as practical knowing 36
Foundations of action research 37
Research paradigms and action research 40
Experiential paradigms of action research 43
Conclusions 49
Part II Implementation 51
4 Framing and Selecting Your Insider Project 53
Framing the action research project 53
Selecting the research project 59
Writing an insider action research proposal 59
Developing the action research 61
Conclusions 61
Exercise 4.1 Questions for framing and selecting 62
Exercise 4.2 Writing a thesis proposal 62
5 Designing and Implementing Your Action Research Project 64
The process of planned change 65
Planned change through action research 69
Learning by design 72
Data generation as intervention 73
The role of technology 76
How do you know when to stop? 76
Conclusions 77
Exercise 5.1 The process of implementation77
Exercise 5.2 Reflection for praxis 78
6 Interlevel Dynamics in Insider Action Research 80
Interlevel dynamics of change 82
Interlevel dynamics of strategy 83
Levels of analysis in action research 85
Conclusions 88
Exercise 6.1 Applying interlevel dynamics 89
Exercise 6.2 Change issues 90
Exercise 6.3 The learning window 90
7 Using Frameworks to Study Organizations in Action 92
Organizational diagnosis 92
Systems thinking and practice 93
Systems thinking and action research 95
Change and learning 95
Conclusions 97
Exercise 7.1 Diagnosing your organization 98
Exercise 7.2 Using systems thinking 98
Part III Issues and Challenges in Researching Your Own Organization 99
8 Researching Your Own Organization 101
The focus of the researcher and the system 102
Quadrant 1 traditional research 104
Quadrant 2 classical action research 104
Quadrant 3 individual reflective study 106
Quadrant 4 tranformational change 109
Action research at home 111
Conclusions 112
Exercise 8.1 Assessing your research focus 113
9 Preunderstanding, Role Duality and Access 114
Preunderstanding 114
Role duality: organizational and researcher roles 117
Access 123
Conclusions 124
Exercise 9.1 Assessing your preunderstanding 125
10 Managing Organizational Politics and Ethics 126
The politics of researching your own organization 127
Managing political relationships 128
Ethics 132
Insider action research and ethics 135
Integrating roles, politics arid ethics 136
Integrative case 138
Conclusions 139
Exercise 10.1 Assessing politics and ethics 139
Exercise 10.2 Force field analysis 140
11 Writing Your Insider Action Research Dissertation 141
An action research dissertation 141
Constructing and writing your dissertation 143
Dissemination 150
Publishing 150
Conclusions 151
12 In Conclusion 152
References 156
Author Index 167
Subject Index 169
