Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book is the essential resource for any researcher embarking on an action research project in their own organization, and all students of organization studies, education, health studies, and community studies. In this brand new edition of the popular work, David Coghlan and Teresa Brannick provide an easy-to-follow, hands-on guide to every aspect of conducting an action research project in your own organization.

Revised and updated, this Third Edition contains:

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Part 1 Foundations
• Introducing Action Research
• A Brief Introduction To Action Research
• Three Audiences/Voices/Practices
• Enacting Action Research Cycles
• The Action Research Cycles
• Pre-Step: Context And Purpose
• Main Steps
• Meta Learning
• Quality And Rigour In Action Research
• Conclusions
• Exercise 1.1 Enacting The Action Research Cycles
• Learning In Action
• Knowing And Learning
• General Empirical Method
• Authenticity
• Reflection
• Developing Reflective Skills Through Journaling
• Second Person Skills
• Conclusions
• Exercise 2.1 First Person Learning In Action
• Exercise 2.2 Keeping A Journal
• Exercise 2.3 Developing Inquiry Skills
• Understanding Action Research
• Action Research As Practical Knowing
• Foundations Of Action Research
• Research Paradigms And Action Research
• Experiential Paradigms Of Action Research
• Conclusions
• Part II Implementation
• Framing And Selecting Your Insider Project
• Framing The Action Research Project
• Selecting The Research Project
• Writing An Insider Action Research Proposal
• Developing The Action Research
• Conclusions
• Exercise 4.1 Questions For Framing And Selecting
• Exercise 4.2 Writing A Thesis Proposal
• Designing And Implementing Your Action Research Project
• The Process Of Planned Change
• Planned Change Through Action Research
• Learning By Design
• Data Generation As Intervention
• The Role Of Technology
• How Do You Know When To Stop?
• Conclusions
• Exercise 5.1 The Process Of Implementation
• Exercise 5. 2 Reflection For Praxis
• Interlevel Dynamics In Insider Action Research
• Interlevel Dynamics Of Change
• Interlevel Dynamics Of Strategy
• Levels Of Analysis In Action Research
• Conclusions
• Exercise 6.1 Applying Interlevel Dynamics
• Exercise 6.2 Change Issues
• Exercise 6.3 The Learning Window
• Using Frameworks To Study Organizations In Action
• Organizational Diagnosis
• Systems Thinking And Practice
• Systems Thinking And Action Research
• Change And Learning
• Conclusions
• Exercise 7.1 Diagnosing Your Organization
• Exercise 7.2 Using Systems Thinking
• Part III Issues and Challenges in Researching Your Own Organization
• Researching Your Own Organization
• The Focus Of Researcher And System
• Quadrant 1 Traditional Research
• Quadrant 2 Classical Action Research
• Quadrant 3 Individual Reflective Study
• Quadrant 4 Tranformational Change
• Action Research At Home
• Conclusions
• Exercise 8.1 Assessing Your Research Focus
• Preunderstanding, Role Duality And Access
• Preunderstanding
• Role Duality: Organizational And Researcher Roles
• Access
• Conclusions
• Exercise 9.1 Assessing Your Preunderstanding
• Managing Organizational Politics And Ethics
• The Politics Of Researching Your Own Organization
• Managing Political Relationships
• Ethics
• Insider Action Research And Ethics
• Integrating Roles, Politics And Ethics
• Integrative Case
• Conclusion
• Exercise 10.1 Assessing Politics And Ethics
• Exercise 10.2 Force Field Analysis
• Writing Your Insider Action Research Dissertation
• An Action Research Dissertation
• Constructing And Writing A Dissertation
• Dissemination
• Publishing
• Conclusions
• In Conclusion
• References
• Author Index
• Subject Index

Author notes provided by Syndetics