Action Research in Organisations

Action research is increasingly perceived and used as a powerful methodology to promote professional awareness and development. This text demonstrates how it can be utilized to promote management and organizational improvement.

The contributors

xi

Acknowledgements

xv

Introduction

1

(1)

The new scholarship

1

(4)

A book of evolutions

5

(3)

New theories of discourse

8

(4)

The second congnitive revolution

12

(4)

Management learning

16

(3)

Accounting for my own learning

19

(3)

Why am I writing this book, and why are you reading it?

22

(11)

Prologue: Contextualising the study

25

(8)

PART I What is the nature of organisational Knowledge?

33

(92)

Learning organisations and the responsibility of managers

37

(30)

What is the nature of organisational knowledge?

38

(6)

How is organisational knowledge acquired?

44

(7)

How is organisational knowledge put to use?

51

(4)

What are the implications for the development of learning organisations?

55

(12)

Learning about learning

60

(7)

Jimmy Ryan

Learning organisations as good societies

67

(28)

What is the nature of a learning organisation?

68

(8)

How are learning organisations created?

76

(7)

How are learning organisations put to use?

83

(2)

What are the implications for organisation theory as a form of educational theory?

85

(10)

Journeyman

89

(6)

Seamus Lillis

Action research, power and control

95

(30)

What is the nature of power?

102

(2)

How is power acquired?

104

(5)

How is power put to use?

109

(4)

What are the implications for organisation theory as a discourse of power?

113

(12)

Collaboration for co-liberation: a story of intentional intervention

115

(10)

Pip Bruce Ferguson

PART II How is organisational knowledge acquired?

125

(94)

Doing research

127

(15)

What is the nature of research knowledge?

128

(5)

How is research knowledge acquired?

133

(4)

How is research knowledge put to use?

137

(2)

What are the implications for social living?

139

(3)

Empirical research

142

(18)

What is the nature of empirical research knowledge?

144

(3)

How is empirical research knowledge acquired?

147

(2)

How is empirical research knowledge put to use?

149

(2)

What are the implications for organisation theory as a theory of social renewal?

151

(9)

Rehabilitating sexual offenders in religious communities

154

(6)

Paul Murphy

Interpretive research

160

(17)

What is the nature of interpretive research knowledge?

162

(2)

How is interpretive research knowledge acquired?

164

(4)

How is interpretive research knowledge put to use?

168

(2)

What are the potential implications for organisation theory as a form of reflective practice?

170

(7)

Understanding my work as a group leader in employment counselling

173

(4)

Breda Long

Critical theoretic research

177

(20)

What is the nature of critical research knowledge?

178

(3)

How is critical research knowledge acquired?

181

(3)

How is critical research knowledge put to use?

184

(4)

What are the implications for organisation theory as a critical social science?

188

(9)

Courage to risk, courage to be free

192

(5)

Eileen Ross

Action research

197

(22)

What is the nature of action research knowledge?

202

(2)

How is action research undertaken?

204

(6)

How is action research put to use?

210

(6)

What are the implications for organisation theory as a process of social renewal?

216

(3)

PART III How is organisational knowledge put to use?

219

(38)

Action research in organisations

221

(21)

What is the nature of action research in organisations?

227

(2)

How is action research supported in organisation?

229

(7)

How is action research put to use in organisations?

236

(2)

What are the implications for new theories of organisation as theories of conversational communities?

238

(4)

New theories of organisation

242

(15)

What is the nature of new theories of organisation?

243

(2)

How are new theories of organisation generated?

245

(6)

How are new theories of organisation put to use?

251

(3)

What are the potential implications for organisation theory as a theory of research-based professionalism?

254

(3)

PART IV What are the implications of living theories of organisation for social living?

257

(40)

What should be the focus of management education?

259

(15)

Action research and the production of working knowledge

259

(2)

John Garrick

Dialogue, learning and management education

261

(3)

Carl Rhodes

Enquiry in action in business education?

264

(5)

John H. M. Ellis

Julia A. Kiely

What should be the focus of management education?

269

(3)

Liam Nagle

What should be the focus of management education?

272

(2)

Chris James

My epistemology of practice of the superintendency

274

(11)

Jacqueline Delong

How one school is fulfilling the vision of Peter Senge's `learning organisation'

285

(12)

Carmel Lillis

Epilogue: reconciliations

297

(5)

References

302

(21)

Index

323

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Action Research in Organisations

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