Action research
Investigate while changing practice
Action research combines systematic enquiry with intentional change through cycles of diagnosis, planning, action, evaluation and reflection. Practitioners and researchers participate in shaping the work. Participatory action research places stronger emphasis on shared power and collective action. In firms, insider roles create useful access but also conflicts between employment, consultancy and research responsibilities.
Use when participants want to improve a real practice and can collaborate through repeated cycles, with permission to document outcomes and time to examine what was learned.
Strengths
- Connects knowledge generation with practical change
- Draws on practitioners' contextual expertise and iterative feedback
Limitations
- Dual roles complicate consent and critical independence
- Change and research can be disrupted by organisational priorities
Know the boundary
Ordinary consultancy is not automatically action research; the enquiry and learning claims must be systematic and explicit.