Skip to main content
Log in

Roles, Politics, and Ethics in Action Research Design

  • Published:
Systemic Practice and Action Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

For novice action researchers, issues of roles, politics and ethics are critical, particularly in design. The field of organization development (OD) provides many useful considerations of roles, politics and ethics. This article proposes a systemic design-based framework of the action research process that includes context, inquiry mechanisms, inquiry cycle and outcomes. Such perspective brings to the forefront the issues of context, roles, politics dynamics and ethics that are embedded in the action research process and influence its emergent process, quality and outcomes. A set of propositions for further explorations is advanced and briefly discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, N., Shani, A. B. (Rami), and Styhre, A. (2004). Collaborative Research in Organizations, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

  • Argyris, C. (2003). Actionable knowledge. In Tsoukas, T., and Knudsen, C. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 423–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Argyris, C., Putnam, R., and Smith, D. (1985). Action Science, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bate, P. (2000). Changing the culture of a hospital: From hierarchy to networked community. Public Admin. 78, 485–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, C. (1998). Self-reflection and vulnerability in action research: Bringing forth new worlds in our learning. Syst. Pract. Action Res. 11(2), 179–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benne, K. D. (1959). Some ethical problems in group and organizational consultation. J. Soc. Issues 15(2), 60–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentz, V., and Shapiro, J. (1998). Mindful Inquiry in Social Science, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breu, K., and Hemingway, C. (2003). It works in practice, but will it work in theory? Paper presented at 19th EGOS Colloquium, Copenhagen.

  • Buchanan, D., and Badham, R. (1999). Power, Politics and Organizational Change: Winning the Turf Game, Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, D., and Boddy, R. (1992). The Expertise of the Change Agent, Prentice-Hall, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coghlan, D., and Brannick, T. (2005). Doing Action Research in Your Own Organization, 2nd edn. Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coghlan, D., Coughlan, P., and Brennan, L. (2004) Organizing for research and action: Implementing action research networks. Syst. Pract. Action Res. 17(1), 37–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, B., and Wolfram Cox, J. (2005). Fundamentals of Action Research, 4 volumes, Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Detardo-Bora, K. (2004). Action research in a world of positivist-oriented review boards. Action Res. 2(3), 237–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gellerman, W., Frankel, M., and Ladenson, R. (1990). Values and Ethics in Organization and Human System Development, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood, D., and Levin, M. (1998). Introduction to Action Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greiner, L. E., and Schein, V. E. (1988). Power and Organization Development, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gummesson, E. (2000). Qualitative Methods in Management Research, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kakabadse, A. (1991). Politics and ethics in action research. In Craig Smith, N., and Dainty, P. (eds.), The Management Research Handbook. Routledge, London, pp. 289–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, D., and Kahn, R. (1978). The Social Psychology of Organizations, Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelman, H. C. (1965). Manipulation of human behavior: An ethical dilemma for the social scientist. J. Soc. Issues 21(2), 31–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. (2001). Engaging sympathies: Relationships between action research and social constructivism. In Reason, P., and Bradbury, H. (eds.), Handbook of Action Research, Sage, London, pp. 124–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lippitt, G., and Lippitt, R. (1986). The Consulting Process in Action, 2nd edn. Pfeiffer, San Diego.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lippitt, R. (1961). Value-judgment problems of the social scientist in action research. In Bennis, W., Benne, K., and Chin, R. (eds.), The Planning of Change, 1st edn., Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, pp. 689–694.

  • Morton, A. (1999). Ethics in action research. Syst.Pract. Action Res. 12(2), 219–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, P. (2003). Power, conflicts and resolutions: A change agent's perspective on conducting action research within a multi-organizational partnership. Syst. Pract. Action Res. 16(6), 375–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punch, M. (1994). Politics and ethics in qualitative research. In Denzin, N., and Lincoln, Y. (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 83–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reason, P., and Bradbury, H. (eds.) (2001). Handbook of Action Research, Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowan, J. (2000). Research ethics. Int. J. Psychother. 5(2), 103–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rusaw, A. C. (2001). Ethical dilemmas of action research: A typological analysis. In Rahim, M. A., Golembiewski, R. T., and MacKenzie, K. D. (eds.), Current Topics in Management, Vol. 6, Elsevier, Oxford, pp. 51–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein, E. H. (1987). The Clinical Perspective in Fieldwork, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein, E. H. (1995). Process consultation, action research and clinical inquiry: Are they the same? J. Manage. Psychol. 10(6), 14–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein, E. H. (1999). Process Consultation Revisited: Building the Helping Relationship. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shani, A. B., and Pasmore, W. A. (1985). Organization inquiry: Towards a new model of the action research process. In Warrick, D. D. (ed.), Contemporary Organization Development: Current Thinking and Applications, Scott, Foresman, Glenview, IL., pp. 438–448.

  • Shani, A. B. (Rami), and Docherty, P. (2003). Learning by Design. Blackwells, Oxford.

  • Stringer, E. (1999). Action Research, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, B., and Haslett, T. (2002). Action research in management—Ethical dilemmas. Syst. Pract. Action Res. 15(6), 523–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, L. P., and Wooten, K. C. (1986). Professional Ethics and Practice in Organization Development, Praeger, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, G. R., and Prosser, S. (2002). Action research: Politics, ethics and participation. J. Adv. Nurs. 40(5), 587–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Coghlan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coghlan, D., Shani, A.B.R. Roles, Politics, and Ethics in Action Research Design. Syst Pract Act Res 18, 533–546 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-005-9465-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-005-9465-3

Key Words

Navigation