The current orthodoxy is that 'knowledge' is the most powerful resource for organisational success. So how can managers develop the appropriate knowledge base to make their organisations grow? The answer lies in action research. Action research is increasingly perceived and used as a powerful methodology to promote professional awareness and development. However, there are very few texts that demonstrate how this can be utilised to promote management and organisational improvement or that emphasise the reflective nature of improving professionalism. Action Research in Organisations fills this gap. Aimed at both practising managers and university students alike, key features of this title include:
* the location of management and organisational theory within a framework * examination of the principles and practice of action research
* real-world examples and case studies of people attempting to improve their own situations through action research.
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 Senges `learning organisation 285(12) Carmel Lillis Epilogue: reconciliations 297(5) References 302(21) Index 323
Jean McNiff, Jack Whitehead
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