1. Action research within management studies Suzanne Grant WMS
Setting the Scene
Action research within management studies
Suzanne Grant
WMS

2. Defining mangement
Management is not restricted to business/corporate activities and environments.
Management at its most basic is ‘planning, leading, organising, controlling’ and hence occurs across ALL organisations, be they profit, not for profit, government, hybrid, social enterprise, formal or informal.

3. Debates Quantitative vs Qualitative
Use of software for qualitative analysis
How do we capture, and honour, the social dimensions?

4. Action research within management studies
1) Contributes to management research and associated methodologies – which are increasingly cross discipline
2) Contributes to practice. E.g. marketing, tourism, human resource management, organisation development

5. AR and Organisation Development
Provides an opportunity to move beyond ‘consulting’… towards collaborative practice, and provides a tool for activities such as strategic planning and change management
If stakeholders are involved with planning and instigating change, it is more likely said change will be successful, and better accepted by stakeholders

6. Appreciative inquiry
Focus on what is good, what is possible, what are the life giving forces in the organisation
Challenges problem oriented focus, and encourages ‘vocabularies of hope’
Utilises storytelling, lends itself well to snowball and waterfall techniques

7. Ai: 5 Core principles
Constructionist principle: Knowledge, language and action are inextricably linked.
Principle of simultaneity: Inquiry is intervention. Seeds of change are sown in the very first question we ask.
Poetic principle: A story of an event is constantly being co-authored and re-authored. Endless interpretations are possible.

8. Ai: 5 core principles cont.
Anticipatory principle: Image of the future guides current behaviour. You move in the direction of what you study.
Positive principle: The more positive the questions or approach, the more successful and long term the change effort will be.

9. Ai: process and intent
Process can take many forms, e.g. Cooperrider & Whitney’s (2000) 4 D cycle: Discovery, Dream, Design, Destiny
Intent is more important than the mechanics of a set process
Reflection is crucial.

10. Ai Applications Business development Strategic planning
Community development
Evaluation tool e.g. Performance appraisals
Applications beyond Management:
- Religious Forums
- Community Policing
- Education