Action Research in Management—Ethical Dilemmas

This paper discusses the application of the guiding ethical principles for the conduct of research involving human subjects in an action research project in a membership-based community psychiatric disability organization. Action research is a collaborative process of critical inquiry between the researcher and the people in the situation, in this case the management executive. The relationship between the researcher and manager participants in a long-term action research project gives rise to ethical dilemmas related to participant selection and voluntary participation, informed consent, decision making, anonymity and confidentiality, conflicting and different needs. The process and strategies implemented to address them are discussed.     

Going Green from the Inside: Insider Action Research at the Volvo Car Corporation

Various forms of action research have been proposed as remedies for the one-sided focus on theoretical interests existing in Business School research. Among other conceptual elaborations, Insider Action Research (IAR) suggests that action research needs to be supported by an insider's view of activities in order to achieve any substantial contribution to practice and theory. Even though the IAR model is potentially capable of overcoming a number of practical, political, and epistemological problems, it has been explored relatively little in terms of practical examples and lessons. This paper presents the account of an Insider Action researcher at the Volvo Car Corporation, aimed at studying the development of environmental strategies and “eco-benign” automobiles “from the inside”. The paper suggests that even though IAR remains a promising model, the political ingenuity and savoir-faire of the insider action researcher must not be underrated.

Roles,Politics, and Ethics in Action Research Design

For novice action researchers, issues of roles, politics and ethics are critical, particularly in design. The field of organization development (OD) provides many useful considerations of roles, politics and ethics. This article proposes a systemic design-based framework of the action research process that includes context, inquiry mechanisms, inquiry cycle and outcomes. Such perspective brings to the forefront the issues of context, roles, politics dynamics and ethics that are embedded in the action research process and influence its emergent process, quality and outcomes. A set of propositions for further explorations is advanced and briefly discussed.     

Occupational Health and Safety Systems,Corporate Governance and Viable Systems Diagnosis: An Action Research Approach

This paper establishes a theoretical basis for the implementation of governance systems in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). This arose when a complex government organization reviewed the usage of its OHS computer system. This review precipitated several cycles of Action Research (AR). The AR allowed the recognition that the organization needed to define its OHS strategy, clarify its commitment to OHS, and examine its OHS systems in order to provide an effective OHS management and corporate governance system. As part of the review, a Viable Systems Diagnosis was done on the OHS function. It was recognized that Stafford Beer provided valuable insights into the information needs and communication flows of OHS information throughout this complex organization. Action research appears to be a particularly useful method for examining and implementing OHS management systems.     

Current Debates in Action Research

Some of the academic debates pertaining to action research have been identified and specified in this paper. These have been traced through the history of development of alternative (action-oriented) research thinking in a number of research areas, namely, the study of human relations, social and organizational studies, educational change, policy studies, psychology, geography, and physics. A number of prevailing approaches to what is generally referred to as action research have been described in a variety of application domains to identify the present home of the current debates in action research as well as the participants in these debates. This excursion has yielded a number of insights pertaining to the problems that constitute the core of the current debates in action research. Some of the proposed solutions available in these debates have been critically examined. A number of open issues have been identified. A speculative section relates the possible futures of action research to possible ways of dealing with these open issues.     

Reflection on the Purposes of Research,Action, and Scholarship: A Case of Cross-Cultural Participatory Action Research

Beginning with some basic principles of participatory action research, the author draws upon personal experience to identify the ways in which the experience of the practice of participatory action research creates forms of publication somewhat different in intent and nature from conventional forms of research. The experience selected involves cross-cultural research, and the particular problems of representation of the other in such settings are engaged. The overall experience is then drawn upon to identify some of the key qualities of action research which differ both from other forms of research and from some of the advocacies for action research.     

Collaborative Action Research for Preparing Teachers as Reflective Practitioners

Systemic Practice and Action Research - The study focuses on using collaborative action research projects to promote reflective practice of pre-service teachers during the internship. Research...     

Managing Action Research: The PEArL Framework

The difficulty of managing and validating Action Research field studies has been widely discussed. Several different approaches to Action Research have emerged, and one of the most widely used models is Checkland’s FMA model, where a framework is provided to facilitate interested individuals in ‘recovering’ the route of the inquiry. In this paper, I argue that the FMA model is a valuable tool for planning the application of theoretical ideas in a practical situation, but that, as a guide to Action Research, it still fails to provide a sense of the manner in which an inquiry is undertaken. The PEArL mnemonic has been previously offered as a guide to facilitate researchers, participants, and those interested in gaining an appreciation of the manner in which an inquiry is conducted. In this paper, it is argued that applying the PEArL elements does not provide insight into the dynamic nature of collaborative inquiry. In order to gain a sense of the manner in which an inquiry was undertaken it is necessary to apply the PEArL mnemonic alongside a framework that facilitates the flow of the action research cycle. To illustrate the framework, an Action Research field study is described that was undertaken with residents and key workers in a shelter for the homeless, where the aim was to create a shared understanding of complex needs and support requirements.

Action Research: Its Nature and Validity

The process of knowledge acquisition which has the strongest truth claim is the research process of natural science, based on testing hypotheses to destruction. But the application of this process to phenomena beyond those for which it was developed, namely, the natural regularities of the physical universe, is problematical. For research into social phenomena there is increasing interest in action research in various forms. In this process the researcher enters a real-world situation and aims both to improve it and to acquire knowledge. This paper reviews the nature and validity of action research, arguing that its claim to validity requires a recoverable research process based upon a prior declaration of the epistemology in terms of which findings which count as knowledge will be expressed.     

决策树学习在RoboCup仿真球队中的应用研究

通过对基于决策树的学习方法的探讨,该文提出了一种用于RoboCup仿真球队中Agent“行为选择能力”的训练算法,使得Agent能够根据当前场上的状态,决定下一步的行动。并以射门为实例,用该方法对Agent进行训练,使Agent学会判断当前状态是否可以射门,在不可射门的情况下选择下一步的行动。     

Action Research: Its History and Relationship to Scientific Methodology

Scientific Methodology (SM) has long suited those who favour analytical and quantitative research in management. Thus the dilemma between the rigour and relevance of contemporary management research methods is fuelled by action researchers who keep wanting to contrast Action Research (AR) with SM. This paper presents a Western philosophical view on the development of belief systems and theory-based methods over time. It thus links the progressive and cumulative development of SM with the contemporary AR methodology. In doing this it presents a different point of view—that the traditions of SM and AR have much closer relationships than people often give them credit for.     

Enhancing Organisational Innovation Capability Through Systemic Action Research: A Case of a Swiss SME in the Food Industry

This paper presents detailed insights into the nature of innovation dynamics of an SME operating in the food industry. Furthermore, the paper highlights how Action Research has changed and enhanced SME??s capability to innovate. Within the exploratory action research based case study described in this article, the researchers interacted closely with one company with regards to a newly launched innovation process over a time period of more than 18 months. The analysis contributes to the fields of action research and innovation research in three respects: First, it exemplifies how systemic action research as a method can be applied on the organisational level in the private sector. Second, it demonstrates how useful action research can be for fostering the innovativeness and creativity of a company. Lastly, the analysis illustrates the extensive time horizon of an action research project.     

防卫行动指挥训练模拟系统研究

反恐斗争是一种特殊的军事斗争形式,是当前军事训练领域的一个重要内容。为满足国内城市“反恐、防恐”的需要,满足驻城部队军官指挥行动训练的需求,我们研制了防卫行动指挥训练模拟系统。首先介绍了该训练模拟系统要达到的总体战技指标、实现的主要功能,然后给出具体实现的硬件构成和各相应的模块子系统、各个分系统的相互关系,以及电台模拟与实时语音通信技术,最后介绍了系统研制过程当中所采用的关键技术。该系统在某装甲步兵分队应用后,反映效果较好、收效明显,对驻城区部队的“反恐”训练具有很强的推动作用。     

From Cybernetics and VSD to Management and Action

This paper uses Stafford Beer's Viable Systems Diagnosis (VSD) to suggest that the development of a model for actionable theory in organizations would take the form of a three-step process. The first step involves the definition and explanation of an appropriate theory base, the second theory interpretation into a coherent set of action principles and the third contextual action in organizations. We contend that even for a well-informed and widely read manager gleaning the theoretical basis for this process from the recognized Beer trilogy “Brain of the Firm,” “The Heart of the Enterprise” and “Diagnosing the System” is difficult to justify in terms of time, understanding, and action. We maintain that a sound set of action principles emanating from Beer's primary work must be considered before tackling the noted trilogy. We use Beer's initial text “Cybernetics and Management” to trace some fundamental operational research and the interdisciplinary tripartite science of cybernetics. We commence our action model process with some introductory thoughts into operational research, cybernetics, VSD, and contextual action. Our first step toward action involves some primary definitions and principles of cybernetic theory and the prospect of controlling overwhelming variety. Our second step provides our set of coherent potential action principles fundamental to cybernetic theory. The paper is written in a journalistic rather than academic style reflecting the need to couch the interpretation of the theory in a language that the well-informed manager may readily translate into third step contextual practice.     

Is Action Design Research Indeed Necessary? Analysis and Synergies Between Action Research and Design Science Research

Action research is one of the research methods that seeks to develop scientific knowledge while simultaneously acting to solve real problems. Design science and design science research are approaches that address problem-solving oriented researches, converging in this aspect with the objectives of action research. A significant part of the literature discusses action research and design science research separately. However, there are some early discussions regarding the similarities and the differences between these research methods. The objective of this study is to deepen an analysis that distinguishes action research, design science and design science research as research methods considering their convergences and divergences. This leads to the discussion of the need for a third method: action design research. This study was conducted based on a configurative systematic literature review. The analysis and the synthesis of literature took into account themes and content analyses. Some results could be observed. First, there is a significant number of similarities among these research methods; second, there are complementary and positive synergies in their use; and third, the concepts of artifact and classes of problems seem to contribute both to the proposition and to the evaluation of the results obtained by action research. Finally, it was possible to establish a set of possibilities for the use of action research and design science research in a combined manner. The limitations of this study have a theoretical nature. There is a need for a comparative analysis of the use of action research and design science research and the use of action research under the paradigm of design science.     

Power,Conflicts, and Resolutions: A Change Agent's Perspective on Conducting Action Research Within a Multiorganizational Partnership

Partnership has become the watchword of government policy over the past 10 years. It is a politically expedient solution to a wide range of complex public policy issues. Although examined in the literature from the viewpoint of an external observer, there has been relatively little examination of what it means to be working in a partnership from the inside. Based on experience as a change agent and action researcher working within a multiorganizational partnership, this paper considers the dilemmas and resolutions experienced in this role. The paper provides a first person reflective account of the inherent ethical, political, and personal turmoils and issues around multilevel dynamics, role ambiguity, power games, political entrepreneurship, and shadows of the past. The paper exposes the key learning points to emerge and concludes that change agents need good support mechanisms and bestowed power in order to challenge vested and powerful interests.     

Guest Editorial: From Cartagena to Ballarat: A Report on the Joint Fifth World Congress on Action Learning,Action Research,and Process Management and Ninth World Congress on Participatory Action Research

Systemic Practice and Action Research -     

Systemic Action Research as a Strategy to Face the Institutionalization of Participatory Approaches: a Case Study in the Basque Country

Systemic Practice and Action Research - Institutionalization is one of the challenges met by action research (AR) processes aiming at structural changes in society, but what institutionalizing AR...     

HLA仿真中基于动作语义原语的三维模块化方法

在基于HLA(High Level Architecture，高层体系结构)的仿真应用中，为了提高系统的可扩展性和可重用性，我们将仿真的底层通信和上层的模型控制框架、三维图形绘制分离开来，形成独立的模块，主要围绕三维图形绘制展开，首先分析了由于三维模块化带来的语义信息的丢失，然后针对这一问题，对实体及其属性进行分类，定义了一种动作语义原语来实现实体属性语义的映射，从而屏蔽了不同实体属性之间的差异，同时给出了一个基于语义原语的程序框架结构；最后，以具体的实现为例说明这种方法的可行性。