Doing Action Research in Your Own Organization

"Doing Action Research in Your Own Organization" is the essential resource for anyone embarking on a research project in their own organization or as part of a work placement programme whether in business, healthcare, government, education, social work or third sector organizations. The authors provide an easy-to-follow, hands-on guide to every aspect of conducting an action research project and have added in the Third Edition: more on politics and ethics to help researchers negotiate gaining access and permission, and building and maintaining support from peers and relevant subsystems within an organization; more on writing an action research dissertation, and treatment of sensitive issues such as: giving feedback to one's superiors and peers, disseminating the research to the wider community, and handling interpretations or outcomes which may be perceived negatively by the organization involved; and, more case examples and reflective exercises taken from a wide variety of organizational settings to aid students and researchers whatever their background discipline.

Table of Contents:
PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS Introducing Action Research A Brief Introduction to Action Research Three Audiences/Voices/Practices Enacting Action Research Cycles The Action Research Cycles Pre-Step: Context and Purpose Main Steps Meta-Learning Quality and Rigour in Action Research Conclusions Exercise 1.1: Enacting the Action Research Cycles Learning in Action Knowing and Learning General Empirical Method Authenticity Reflection Developing Reflective Skills through Journaling Second-Person Skills Conclusions Exercise 2.1 First-Person Learning in Action Exercise 2.2 Keeping a Journal Exercise 2.3 Developing Inquiry Skills Understanding Action Research Action Research as Practical Knowing Foundations of Action Research Research Paradigms And Action Research Experiential Paradigms of Action Research Conclusions PART TWO: IMPLEMENTATION Framing and Selecting Your Insider Project Framing the Action Research Project Selecting the Research Project Writing an Insider Action Research Proposal Developing The Action Research Conclusions Exercise 4.1 Questions for Framing and Selecting Exercise 4.2 Writing a Thesis Proposal Designing and Implementing Your Action Research Project The Process of Planned Change Planned Change through Action Research Learning by Design Data Generation as Intervention The Role of Technology How Do You Know When to Stop? Conclusions Exercise 5.1 The Process of Implementation Exercise 5. 2 Reflection for Praxis Inter-Level Dynamics in Insider Action Research Interlevel Dynamics of Change Interlevel Dynamics of Strategy Levels of Analysis in Action Research Conclusions Exercise 6.1 Applying Interlevel Dynamics Exercise 6.2 Change Issues Exercise 6.3 The Learning Window Using Frameworks to Study Organizations in Action Organizational Diagnosis Systems Thinking and Practice Systems Thinking and Action Research Change and Learning Conclusions Exercise 7.1: Diagnosing Your Organization Exercise 7.2: Using Systems Thinking PART THREE: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN RESEARCHING YOUR OWN ORGANIZATION Researching Your Own Organization The Focus of Researcher and System Quadrant 1: Traditional Research Quadrant 2: Classical Action Research Quadrant 3: Individual Reflective Study Quadrant 4: Tranformational Change Action Research At Home Conclusions Exercise 8.1 Assessing Your Research Focus Pre-Understanding, Role Duality and Access Pre-Understanding Role Duality: Organizational and Researcher Roles Access Conclusions Exercise 9.1 Assessing Your Preunderstanding Managing Organizational Politics and Ethics The Politics of Researching Your Own Organization Managing Political Relationships Ethics Insider Action Research and Ethics Integrating Roles, Politics and Ethics Integrative Case Conclusion Exercise 10.1 Assessing Politics and Ethics Exercise 10.2 Force Field Analysis Writing Your Insider Action Research Dissertation An Action Research Dissertation Constructing and Writing a Dissertation Dissemination Publishing Conclusions In Conclusion

About the Author :
David Coghlan is Professor of Organization Development at the School of Business, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and is a Fellow of the College. He specializes organization development and action research and participates actively in the both communities internationally. He has published over 80 articles and book chapters. Recent co-authored books include: Collaborative Strategic Improvement through Network Action Learning (Edward Elgar, 2011), Organization Change and Strategy (Routledge, 2006), and co-editor of Managers Learning in Action, (Routledge, 2004). He is co-editor (with Mary Brydon-Miller) of the Encyclopedia of Action Research and of the 4 volume set, Fundamentals of Organization Development (Sage, 2010). He is a member of the editorial advisory board of several journals, including Action Research, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Action Learning: Research and Practice, Systemic Practice and Action Research and OD Practitioner. He is currently co-editing (with Rami Shani) a 4 volume set, Action Research in Business andManagement (Sage, 2015). Teresa Brannick (1950-2012) was a lecturer in the business research programme at the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at University College, Dublin, Ireland. Her undergraduate degree was in mathematics, her masters in sociology and her Ph.D. in marketing research. She had been a practising researcher for over thirty years and had published over thirty research papers in such diverse fields as epidemiology, public policy, industrial relations and marketing. She was the editor-in-chief of Irish Journal of Management and a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Management. She was co-editor of Business Research Methods: Theories, Techniques and Sources (Oak Tree Press: Dublin, 1997).

Review :
'The suggested frameworks for thinking about how cycles of action research might fit within ongoing professional commitments and practice are properly general and thought provoking...The final chapters considering the impact of being an action researcher and discussing the management of organisational politics are extremely interesting' - Learning and Teaching Update [This new edition] provides a valuable foundation for new researchers in the field' - International Journal of Action Research 'The third edition offers both perceptive advice and support for those considering undertaking action research in their own organization.' Mark N. K Saunders Action Learning: Research and Practice