Constructing interorganizational collaboration

Abstract

A B S T R A C TThis article aims to explore critically the role of an action research team in the social construction of interorganizational collaboration aimed at transgressing organizational and professional boundaries. We argue that the new relationships, actor conceptions and in some cases forms of work organization arising from the change process have been socially constructed through the discursive interventions of the researchers. This has largely occurred through informal interaction with and between the actors engaged in the development process. The action researcher, rather than being a neutral discursive gatekeeper in collaborative development projects, is an active constructor of the discourse shaping the collaboration. A case is presented showing how the researcher role is thus better seen as being an active boundary subject mediating across various professional and organizational perspectives rather than a passive boundary object. Accordingly, by focusing on the discursive role of active researchers as boundary subjects, we can reflect more critically on the roles we adopt in our intervention endeavours and their inevitably political nature. Action ResearchVolume 8(3): 293-314

Action Research as a Method to Find Solutions for the Burden of Caregiving at Hospital Discharge

“…Helping participants speak for themselves was instrumental to designing an action and generating understanding among stakeholders (Coghlan and Brannick 2014). Within this setting, the research group acted as the intermediary (Huzzard et al 2010) among diverse stakeholders' perspectives, collecting relative interests and trying to get them involved. Specifically, the main duty of the research group was to propose different strategies to maintain the commitment of caregivers throughout the project and to raise the awareness of hospital professionals and Board concerning users that they did not perceive as their own.…”

“…The Board Directors of the hospital provided the stimulus to start an AR study in their setting because they needed to investigate the discharge planning system and family caregiver role and burden, and they asked the Head of the Nursing Department to study the topic. For this purpose, she created a multidisciplinary team (Huzzard et al 2010) with colleagues also from other disciplines (henceforth: research group).…”

The classification of financial products

“…This is a key differentiator from our study, in which individuals possessing knowledge of the global financial system and of financial products actively participated. This is not to suggest that the researchers who participated in this study are representative of the entire domain; however, they do offer an expert if not entirely representative sample (Huzzard, Ahlberg, & Ekman, ).…”

Bringing People Back to the Future: The Role of Hermeneutic Temporality in Participatory Research

“…However, due to significant staff turnover and changes to the clinical program, it was not possible to implement the planned project in the example shared, highlighting the importance of lasting ties and the limitations that researchers can face. Nonetheless, by understanding and mediating multiple perspectives, the participatory researcher can serve as a boundary agent in the creation of new relationships (Huzzard et al, 2010). Current and future collaborations can more easily stem from these relationships, either in research or by fostering community relationships.…”