Search

Recent studies in the field of human resource management (HRM) have highlighted that current research is mostly performed and consumed by academics, and is driven by theoretical and disciplinary concerns rather than practical ones. This debate has invoked the need to produce more Mode 2 research in the HRM field, that is, research driven by practical problems that integrate collaborative efforts by academics and practitioners. Yet, guidelines on how academics and practitioners may implement Mode 2 research remain disjointed and incomplete. Our study provides a phase‐based collaborative‐based framework for the implementation of Mode 2 research in the HRM field, in ways that both academic rigor and practical relevance are achieved. Our framework is informed by a comprehensive review of previous Mode 2 research, within and outside the HRM field. The proposed framework details four macro‐phases: the codevelopment of research questions with practitioners; the design of collaborative spaces and mechanisms; the design and management of double‐loop iterative research processes; and finally the academic and practice legitimization of Mode 2 outcomes. Our framework has the objective to support HRM researchers and practitioners, as well as relevant institutions and gatekeepers in the design, implementation, education, and assessment of Mode 2 research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how abductive reasoning is central to Mode 2 organization development and change (ODC) research, despite the rarity with which it is made explicit. It differentiates between Peirce's notions of deduction, induction, and abduction in the field of ODC and explores how Mode 2 ODC research, particularly that involving collaboration between academics and practitioners, draws on abductive reasoning. It is when confronted with an array of puzzling and paradoxical data that insights constitute abductive reasoning, a fundamental element in both the production of knowledge and the development of successful organizational interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary social science philosophy is bedevilled with debates about the nature of knowledge production. This article introduces the philosophical notion of interiority whereby, by focusing on the operations of knowledge production in the human mind, OD scholars and researchers can ground Modes 1 and 2 in a bigger picture of what is common to all research. This perspective which recognizes different ways of knowing in different situations cuts through the polarized differences between Modes 1 and 2. Rather than looking at what is different between them this article explores their complementarity through an interiority-based OD research framework. MAD statement This article focuses on how knowledge is produced in the field of organization development (OD). Mode 1 produces knowledge in a disciplinary context and aims at producing scientific knowledge. Mode 2 focuses on creating knowledge for practical use through a partnership between researchers and practitioners. Both modes are valuable for managers and OD practitioners for how they contribute to knowledge production. A comprehensive framework based on six macrophases in OD knowledge production is advanced by focusing on kind of knowledge that is needed for what purpose (an activity of the human mind which we call interiority). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to advance the understanding of sociotechnical systems redesign as an engine for the development of new organizational capabilities via the creation of a learning mechanisms tapestry. The research is based on a nine-year longitudinal study of an advanced rubber manufacturing plant in Israel following a one-year sociotechnical system redesign process. The study documents the sociotechnical system redesign process, structures, and mechanisms and provides eight years of the plant's economic performance indicators. The development of new organizational capabilities has been identified as critical for managerial success. The learning mechanisms that were created as a result of the sociotechnical system redesign facilitated the development of new organizational capabilities. The utilization of a tapestry of learning mechanisms as both new organizational capability and as the catalysts for the creation of new organizational capabilities is of utmost relevance to managerial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Action Research is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Lewin’s contribution to social science is extensive. This paper takes Lewin’s notion of defining the field at a given time and brings it into the arena of action research to make explicit links between attending and inquiring in the present tense and the collaborative dynamics of action research within the social space of a change process. Inquiring in the present tense in the field as it exists at a given time has hitherto not been explored explicitly. The paper highlights the unfolding and emergent nature of action research in terms of the inquiry process of first-, second- and third-person practices as they take place in the present tense. It advances a framework that can guide the action researcher in the practice of action research that enhances the integration of present tense into the collaborative effort. In doing so, it extends our knowledge of the richness of the Lewin legacy and elaborates a neglected and necessary mechanism in the field of organization development and action research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The practice of action research has been an integral element of organization development research since the beginning. Collaborative management research (CMR) is viewed as a modality within the broad family of action research approaches. By design, CMR aims to facilitate collaboration between researchers and practitioners in the investigation of an organizational issue while generating outcomes that are both relevant to practice and scholarly rigorous. This article reports on the nature and outcome of a CMR effort that centers on a complex organizational change—the merger process of two real-estate investment companies. The discussion identifies and explores some of the characteristics of CMR that could enable mergers and acquisitions. Contribution to theory, methodology and practice are then presented, proposing CMR as a managerial tool for framing and leading mergers and acquisitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between different types of organizational learning mechanisms and creative climate. In the context of an action research study, this paper focuses on insights from a survey that was administered to all the employees of the Product Design and Development unit of the company. The results demonstrate that the three different types of organizational learning mechanisms considered in the study (cognitive, structural and procedural mechanisms) are associated with creative climate. The study generates new scientific knowledge about the role of organizational learning mechanisms and provides specific recommendations for organizations that aim to enhance creative climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a research paradigm, collaborative research brings together practitioners and researchers for the purpose of creating knowledge that is relevant to practice and added value to theoretical development. The collaborative effort tends to bridge the rigor–relevance gap. In Kieser and Leiner’s article “Collaborate With Practitioners: But Beware of Collaborative Research,” in the Journal of Management Inquiry, the authors challenge the added value of collaborative research to both practice and the scientific outcomes. This rejoinder takes issue with Kieser and Leiner’s key arguments, basic assumptions, narrow and limited points of departure, the view of the essence of social and management science, misunderstanding of managerial work, collaborative research, and action research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – This study aims at narrowing a high level of fragmentation in the knowledge on the topic of team creativity (TC) that plays a fundamental role in enhancing an organization's delivery systems and market position by mapping available knowledge within a proposed framework. Although there is a wealth of knowledge on the topic, this fragmentation as revealed by past research limits the comprehensive understanding of the subject. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was used to gather evidence about the key concepts in the fields of management, organization and innovation. This evidence is mapped against the backdrop of a complex adaptive perspective, as creativity is perceived as the product of micro-social units within the context of macro-social systems. Findings – The great number of concepts found in literature are organized into a framework that distinguishes relevant inputs that can affect team functioning; relevant mediators for TC; and TC outcomes. The framework is reviewed and discussed within the context of the social systems in which the team is embedded. Originality/value – TC is one of the most fertile research streams within the research field of innovation, and yet it suffers from a fragmentation that limits a deeper level of understanding and the advancement of actionable knowledge from taking place. An integrative theoretical perspective of micro- and macro-social systems gives researchers new insights into the interconnection between the numerous findings already found in the literature and gives a clear direction for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in the field of management and organizational sciences has yielded a deeper understanding of many emerging business issues. However, the relevance of the contributions has been increasingly criticized, in both the academic and public spheres. We propose the intervention research approach - originally developed by the research group at Ecole des Mines de Paris - as a design science approach able to address both the relevance gap issue and the growing complexity of management practice. It is argued that increasing our understanding of management requires research that is more insightful, influential and immediately applicable. This in turn requires closer collaboration between management and researchers during the inquiry process, which is not always easy to achieve. An illustrative case study of an intervention research project focusing on creativity, conducted in Italy in collaboration with a fashion company, demonstrates how intervention research can be rigorous and relevant to practitioners, and how it can advance theoretical knowledge in management science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essence of new product development is the creation, utilization and exploitation of new knowledge. Business sustainability is embedded in the firm's ability to manage its new product development (NPD) processes. This paper explores the complex relationship between organizational context, NPD and knowledge management. A design-based framework is proposed and utilized in the investigation of two NPD units in telecommunication and software development organizations. Directions for future research are identified and briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to implement business process reengineering successfully, organizations find that they need to combine a variety of change initiatives. Yet, most of the empirical literature dwells on a single change initiative. Integrating multiple change initiatives requires a structural learning mechanism. The learning mechanism is created to lead, design, and implement the overall change effort. This paper reports on BPR at Blue Shield of California. The theoretical implications of system-wide transfo rmation and learning mechanisms - based on the integration of BPR with other change initiatives - within the rapidly changing health care competitive context are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]