AR Leadership: fostering change from the inside Action and Case Research in Management and Organizational Contexts

Action research involves change : a)Change in a system, process, unit, sub unit; b)Change in the way people undertake their tasks and what tasks they may now have to do; c)Change in how people relate to each other and the tasks within those systems; d)Change in the way they relate to you as the ‘leader’, ‘manager’ in that you are now also acting as ‘researcher’ as well; e)Change in the way they relate to other units/sub units; f)Change in…………????

 Fear;  Dislike of the unknown;  Real conflicts of interest;  Low readiness for change. Leading to the problems in the diagram below,

 Sometimes change should be resisted;  Sometimes it just needs better leadership;  Sometimes it calls for empowerment and engagement of everyone;  Action research can help here.

Management and Leadership A manager’s role, a leader’s role, a researcher’s role Management is the process of achieving organizational objectives, within a changing environment, by balancing efficiency, effectiveness and equity, attaining the most from limited resources, and working with and through people. Leadership is the process of influencing people towards achievement of organizational goals. [Naylor (2004: p.354)] Researchers are engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems. The individual who conducts and directs the study and carries the primary responsibility for the research. A practitioner researcher is as much at the centre of the research as the other stakeholders.

Leaders: An inspirational process; More personal, active attitude; Creates excitement, commitment, develops choices; Empathy with people; They work in but do not necessarily identify with the organisation. Differences between leaders and managers (Mullins, 2007) Doctorate in Business Administration

Leading is “ influencing, guiding in direction, course, action. Managers are people who do things right and leaders who do the right thing with the difference being vision and judgement”. (Bennis & Nanus,1985) “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last thing is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader.” (de Pree,1989) However what is the position of a researcher, what style or behaviours should they adopt in tackling change? Leading

Leaders can empower their staff through action learning sets; Staff can empower themselves through action learning; Managers can develop themselves as more empathetic leaders through reflection, 360 degree assessment, being mentored; This style is not for everyone! What do practitioner/researchers who are leaders and managers do? Leadership through AR

 Leadership;  Communication;  Change management;  Empowerment. From within! From below! From outside the group of those in power! As the practitioner/researcher are you an insider or an outsider? (Herr & Anderson, 2005)

Empower the weak and resist coercion; Bring about change; Resist inappropriate change; Provide leadership from within; Provide a voice for stakeholders; Develop a high readiness for change. High readiness for change is where staff feel: Empowered, listened to, have high ‘self –efficacy’, safe to criticise, enabled to actively contribute to the solution of work related problems, high levels of social support.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Could you use action research in any of these ways for your dissertation?

Bass, B. M. (1990: p.19). Handbook of leadership. New York: Free Press. Bennis, W.G. and Nanus, B. (1985).The strategy for taking charge. New York: Harper Row. DePree, M., (1989). Leadership is an art, New York: Doubleday. Gallos J (2006) Ed. Organization Development: a reader. San Francisco Jossey – Bass. Chapters on leadership/change/development. Gibson J. Ivancevich J., Donnelly J. Konopaske R. (1991). Organization: Behavior, Structure Processes Harlow Pearson. (12th Ed, 2005 now available) Herr K. Anderson G. (2005). The Action research Dissertation: A guide for students and faculty. London Sage. Naylor J. (2004) 2 nd ed. Management Harlow: Prentice-Hall. Dynamic Administration: The Collected Papers of Mary Parker Follett: Early Sociology of Management and Organizations, Vol. 3, by Mary Follett, L. Urwick (Editor); Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Inc. November References