Presentation on Action Research

By: Ms. Ambika Goyal

Table 8.2, p.277

Action Research - 1• Action research is central to EACH

STAGE of the OD process.• It is a collaborative effort between the

leaders and facilitators of any change and those who have to enact it.

• It involves diagnosis, data gathering, feedback of data to the client group, data discussion, action planning, and action.

• Therefore, action research is, as its name suggests, a combination of research and action.

Action Research - 2• Action research involves collecting data

relevant to the situation of interest, feeding back the results to those who must take action, collaboratively discussing the data to formulate an action plan, and finally, taking the necessary action.

Key executive perceptionof problems

Consultation with behaviouralscientist consultant

Data gathering anddiagnosis byconsultant

Further data gathering

Feedback to key clientor client group

Joint action planning(objectives of ODprogramme and meansof attaining goals, egteam building

Data gathering

Feedback toclient group

Discussion and work ondata feedback and databy client group

Action planning(determine objectivesand how to get there)

Action (newbehaviours) Data gathering

(reassessment ofstate of system)

Feedback

Discussion and workon feedback andemerging data

Action planning

Action

Etc

Source: French and Bell, [1999]

Action Research Model for OD

Shepard’s Action Research Model

Objective

Planning

Action Step 2

Planning

ActionStep 1

Fact Finding

Shepard’s Action Research Model

Shepard highlights the relations among goals, planning and action. Both

Shepard and French emphasize that action research is research inextricably

linked to action.

AR model is also viewed as approach to problem solving, where we note the

following features:

• normative nature of this model

• centrality of objectives

• different role requirements of consultant vis-à-vis client.

This model also adds to the richness of knowledge, derived every time the

action research is carried out.