Abstract:PurposeThe purpose of the article is to aid the reader in understanding the knowledge claims in different forms of action research and to see what kind of “turn to practice” is required in research on organising, organisational learning, and management.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework extracted from the philosophy of Aristotle is presented for understanding the knowledge claims of action research in relation to other approaches.FindingsSome form of action research should be pursued, but action… Show more
“…Dewey, Peirce and James) is often cited as foundational to the development of AR (Cassell & Johnson, 2006;Eikeland, 2007;Barton, Stephens, & Haslett, 2009). …”
Please note: Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page numbers may not be reflected in this version. For the definitive version of this publication, please refer to the published source. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite this paper.This version is being made available in accordance with publisher policies. See http://orca.cf.ac.uk/policies.html for usage policies. Copyright and moral rights for publications made available in ORCA are retained by the copyright holders.A relational, transformative and engaged approach to sustainable supply chain management:The potential of action research
Anne Touboulic and Helen Walker
AbstractThis paper describes how action research (AR) can advance sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) research. Most SSCM research is empirical and little attention has been paid to reflecting upon how research is conducted in the field. Current research fails to make links with ideas of relationality, change and engagement proposed in broader sustainability research. We propose to address this gap by discussing how AR could help address current challenges in SSCM. The paper explores the proponents and application of AR as a relevant methodology for knowledge development in the field, based upon a critical analysis of SSCM and AR, including a review of previous AR studies and insights from a research project in which AR was applied. Particular emphasis is put on exploring the links between the sustainability dimension of SSCM and the foundations and practice of AR. The paper does not reject other methodological approaches, but it shows that the pragmatic orientation of AR is particularly suitable for an applied field such as SSCM where problems are often messy, cross-disciplinary and essentially concerned with the flourishing of individuals and organisations. Our paper has broader implications for interorganisational research.
“…Dewey, Peirce and James) is often cited as foundational to the development of AR (Cassell & Johnson, 2006;Eikeland, 2007;Barton, Stephens, & Haslett, 2009). …”
Please note: Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page numbers may not be reflected in this version. For the definitive version of this publication, please refer to the published source. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite this paper.This version is being made available in accordance with publisher policies. See http://orca.cf.ac.uk/policies.html for usage policies. Copyright and moral rights for publications made available in ORCA are retained by the copyright holders.A relational, transformative and engaged approach to sustainable supply chain management:The potential of action research
Anne Touboulic and Helen Walker
AbstractThis paper describes how action research (AR) can advance sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) research. Most SSCM research is empirical and little attention has been paid to reflecting upon how research is conducted in the field. Current research fails to make links with ideas of relationality, change and engagement proposed in broader sustainability research. We propose to address this gap by discussing how AR could help address current challenges in SSCM. The paper explores the proponents and application of AR as a relevant methodology for knowledge development in the field, based upon a critical analysis of SSCM and AR, including a review of previous AR studies and insights from a research project in which AR was applied. Particular emphasis is put on exploring the links between the sustainability dimension of SSCM and the foundations and practice of AR. The paper does not reject other methodological approaches, but it shows that the pragmatic orientation of AR is particularly suitable for an applied field such as SSCM where problems are often messy, cross-disciplinary and essentially concerned with the flourishing of individuals and organisations. Our paper has broader implications for interorganisational research.
“…Therefore, interaction processes between local stakeholders (in our case the members of the organisation) and researchers are necessary where all individuals involved bring in their diverse knowledge bases to work on a problem collaboratively in dialogical processes (Eikeland 2007). We agree with Flood (2001) who argues that ''systemic thinking is not an approach to action research, but a grounding for action research that may broaden action and deepen research'' (ibid., p. 143).…”
“…By visualizing some of the important systemic effects impacting innovation processes, we will be able to not only perceive, interpret, and integrate the hidden connections between a variety of phenomena both concerning systemic and interactive dynamics (Khisty 2006;Flood 1998Flood , 1999, but also to stimulate (inter-)action based dialogues which will help both the researchers and the members of organisation under study to learn and develop (Eikeland 2007;Kakabadse et al 2007). The next subsection describes the methodological approach which enabled us to both explore innovation dynamics in practice as well as to unleash the potential of research as a trigger to learning processes in organisations.…”
This paper presents detailed insights into the nature of innovation dynamics of an SME operating in the food industry. Furthermore, the paper highlights how Action Research has changed and enhanced SME's capability to innovate. Within the exploratory action research based case study described in this article, the researchers interacted closely with one company with regards to a newly launched innovation process over a time period of more than 18 months. The analysis contributes to the fields of action research and innovation research in three respects: First, it exemplifies how systemic action research as a method can be applied on the organisational level in the private sector. Second, it demonstrates how useful action research can be for fostering the innovativeness and creativity of a company. Lastly, the analysis illustrates the extensive time horizon of an action research project.
“…However, these definitions do not pay a full tribute to the richness of meanings and nuances embedded in the Aristotelian gnoseology (Eikeland & Nicolini, ), encompassing the whole set of ways of knowing: epistêmê (bifurcated in knowledge forms theôrêsis [speculation]; and theôria [insight]), páthos (being affected passively from the outside), khrêsis (using instruments), poíêsis (making, manipulating materials) and praxis (bifurcated as practice, competence development and insight [ theôría ]; and ethics, doing, virtuous performance, practical reasoning) (Eikeland, , p. 348; , p. 526; , p. 20). These authors emphasize the limitations of the modern and postmodern appropriation of Aristotle philosophy, for example: “Scientific methods are usually specialised techniques quite different from and extraneous to the ways of producing knowledge prevalent in our everyday lives.…”
Section: Pre‐modernism: An Aristotelian Traditionmentioning
The purpose of this article is to contribute, from a research practitioner perspective, to the theory–practice gap debate in organization studies, focusing on pluralistic contexts such as project organizing. The current debate is introduced; then the features of the two main philosophical traditions (i.e., modernism and postmodernism) are critically summarized. Then, propositions to reconnect theory and practice according to the Aristotelian premodern ethical and practical philosophy are discussed. Some key implications in the following areas are outlined: roles played by practitioners and scholars; emancipatory praxeological style of reasoning; closing the “phronetic gap”; and the development of “good practice,” ethics, and politics.
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