Action Research Characteristics

III.3. Action research

III.3.i. Definition and distinctive features

Action research is a form of research which is concerned with the management change, and involves close collaboration between practitioners and researchers (Saunders et al. 2009). A distinctive feature of action research is public participation in the study. Its benefit is that change is usually easier to achieve when those affected by the change are involved. The researcher may encourage the users to identify their own research questions, conduct data collection by interviewing other members of the community and identify practical solutions (Bloor and Wood, 2006). Eden and Huxham (1996) define the characteristics of action research in terms of outcomes and processes. According

Gummesson (1999) stresses the need for business and management researchers to be involved in. Action research is seen as particularly useful in researching processual problems in organizations such as learning and change (Bryman et al. 2006). In some situations, members of the organization may become action researchers themselves, thereby providing potential for sustainability of the project after the researcher has left the field (Bloor and Wood, 2006). Hence, according to Coghlan (2001), many action research projects are undertaken by part-time students who take their own work organization and problems within it to be their primary focus of study. As one of these individuals, I am already immersed in an organization as complete participant and have an understanding of it that is derived from being an actor in the processes being studied. I face three interrelated sets of issues that relate to my pre-understanding of the setting, my role duality, and organizational politics (Bryman et al.

He outlines the context of change in a city hall power culture, and describes how it allowed him to improve his performance in highly political and conflictual situations. He describes his reflection process in five steps: recording and observing on a daily and hourly basis; a weekly selection and analysis of critical incidents; an exploration of these issues with his academic supervisor; rehearsal and role playing with his supervisor in anticipation of further critical incidents; and a public testing in the real life situation (Coghlan and Brannick,