Action Research And Organizational Development

Action Research and Organizational Development describes a process of change that encourages research and consulting skills. In this process, research data about an organization or culture is systematically collected to develop an understanding of the needs, issues and problems. The information provides the impetus for focusing the change and making discoveries. This work describes the characteristics of the action research process and the procedure for its implementation. This particular type of applied social research differs from other varieties in the immediacy of the researcher's involvement and collaboration in each stage of researching, focusing, and implementing. The work describes the continuous process of research and learning in relation to the researcher's long-term relationship with a problem or issue. This book is relevant for all those who share the goal of positive change within the organization.

This book brings new perspectives to classic issues in the field such as organizational complexity, change leadership, emotional intelligence and interorganizational change.

The Fourth Edition of this best-selling book is packed full of practical, expert advice on how to navigate the murky waters of ethics, politics and management in your own organization. Multidisciplinary in its approach to action research, the book sets out a step-by-step template for researchers to follow and adapt. Coghlan and Brannick: Introduce and contextualize action research as a method Provide guidance on how to design and implement your action research project Explore interlevel dynamics Discuss role duality and access Suggest effective ways to analyze your data Provide helpful tips on how to disseminate your findings. The book and supporting companion website are the ideal resource for students, researchers and practitioners hoping to generate real change through their action research project and will be particularly relevant to those studying Business and Management, Nursing and Health, Education and Sociology.

Organization and Education Development combines reflective thinking and practice, action research living theory, and organization development to explore the self-discovery of meaning and purpose. It charts a journey undertaken by the author in pursuit of professional development through self-awareness and self-change as a fully integrated person and a better professor. This book is about an individual's integrative journey of self-discovery. The author’s narrative includes values and organizational development concepts and theories shared with fellow travelers, including supervisors, friends, and students. He shares invaluable insights and examples with the reader, using a model of a six-spoke wheel of final discovery and the MICAI intersection model. These integrative guides provide examples on how to search for what is best in everyday life and what gives us true meaning, encouraging personal reflection and ways of nurturing appreciation for our own lives. This multidisciplinary book combines western and eastern models and philosophies and draws from organization development, positive psychology, and education development. It will be ideal reading for students, researchers, and academics in the fields of organizational development, organizational psychology, social psychology, and education. It will appeal to any reader interested in learning about self-development. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

With the Handbook of Action Research hailed as a turning point in how action research is framed and understood by scholars, this student edition has been structured to provide an easy inroad into the field for researchers and students. It includes concise chapter summaries and an informative introduction that draws together the different strands of action research and reveals their diverse applications as well as their interrelations. Divided into four parts, there are important themes of thinking and practice running throughout.

This book presents a fresh view of action research as a methodology uniquely suited to researching the processes of innovation and change. Drawing on twenty-five years’ experience of leading or facilitating action research projects, Bridget Somekh argues that action research can be a powerful systematic intervention, which goes beyond describing, analyzing and theorizing practices to reconstruct and transform those practices. The book examines action research into change in a range of educational settings, such as schools and classrooms, university departments, and a national evaluation of technology in schools. The opening chapter presents eight methodological principles and discusses key methodological issues. The focus then turns to action research in broader contexts such as ‘southern’ countries, health, business and management, and community development. Each chapter thereafter takes a specific research project as its starting point and critically reviews its design, relationships, knowledge outcomes, political engagement and impact. Action Researchis important reading for postgraduate students and practitioner researchers in education, health and management, as well as those in government agencies and charities who wish to research and evaluate change and development initiatives. It is also valuable for pre-service and in-service training of professionals such as teachers, nurses and managers.

B> Appropriate for courses in Organization Development, this new edition explores the improvement of organizations through planned, systematic, long-range efforts focused on the organization's culture and its human and social processes. The authors present a concise and comprehensive exposition of the theory, practice, and research related to organization development. The Sixth Edition reflects the most recent developments, advances and expansions, and research in the area of OD. KEY TOPICS: Adds and updates new material to provide the most current information available. Strengthens coverage by adding new interventions and new material. Offers a more lively tone and writing style. Emphasizes the everchanging paradigms in OD theory and describes several new and important interventions in considerable detail. Sets discussions in the rapidly-evolving contexts of globalization, intensified competition and collaboration, Total Quality Management (TQM) and large-scale organizational change. Provides excellent coverage of the organization and its dynamics for managers and professionals.