Abstract
A number of criticisms have been levelled at Action Research over the years. Among these has been the observation that the practice of Action Research is insufficiently distinct from Consulting. Indeed, some academics appear to see consulting as little short of making a deal with the Devil. In contrast, we believe that there is the potential for a heavenly marriage between Action Research and Consulting: not only do they have much to learn from each other but they also can usefully complement each other. This chapter focuses on how the practice of Consulting would benefit from the adoption of specific Action Research principles. We briefly review the background literatures of both Action Research and Consulting, particularly Management Consulting. We also consider a previously-developed set of principles and associated criteria that help to ensure the rigor and relevance of Canonical Action Research. The discussion section highlights how the principles and criteria for Action Research can usefully contribute to high quality consulting practice. We conclude with a call for more dialogue and hands-on interaction between practitioners of Action Research and Consulting.
Key words
- Action Research
- Consulting
- Synthesis
- Relevance
- Rigour
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Davison, R.M., Martinsons, M.G. (2007). Action Research and Consulting. In: Kock, N. (eds) Information Systems Action Research. Integrated Series in Information Systems, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-36060-7_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-36060-7_16
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