action research a remedy to overcome the gap between theory and practice

8/11/2019 Action Research a Remedy to Overcome the Gap Between Theory and Practice

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Action Research: A Remedy to Overcome the Gap

between 'Theory' and 'Practice'

Dr. Saeed AkbarLecturer, Liverpool Management SchoolUniversity of Liverpool

E-mail:[email protected]

*Dr. Monirul Alam Hossain

Department of Accounting and MISUniversity of Hail

P.O. Box 2440, Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Tel: 966-6-5345382 (Residence)

FAX: 966-6-531-0500

E-mail:[email protected]

[email protected]

(Primary Draft Submitted for the presentation in the 30th

European Accounting Association Conference (25Th

27thApril,2007), Lisbon, Portugal)

Draft: October, 2009

(*Correspondence to be made to the Second Author)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://us.f328.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=23949&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=bhttp://us.f328.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=23949&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=bhttp://us.f328.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=23949&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=bmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://us.f328.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=23949&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=bmailto:[email protected]


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Action Research: A Remedy to Overcome the Gap between

'Theory' and 'Practice'

Abstract

Action research is an important research methodology in management science. Though action

research has been defined and discussed by many researchers, there are still controversies about

the implication of this research tool inacademic world. This article highlighted some important

points about action research, and provides an overview of this research method for showing its

potential as a research technique along with the history, meaning and features of action research.

It has been argued by the earlier researchers that failure of conventional research methodology in

solving organisational problems produces gap between theory and practice, which can be

bridged with the help of action research technique, that action research can be focused on the

collaboration to bring change and solve problems in organisations. About the validity of action

research, some epistemological points of view has been discussed. In this article, the researchers

argued that although action research can help to overcome the gap between theory and

practice, it could be a difficult task for any researcher to achieve.

Key Words: Action research, participation, organisation, social science, social

action


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Action Research: A Remedy to Overcome the Gap between

Theory and Practice

INTRODUCTION

Action research is an important research methodology in social science which has evolved over

the last six decades. Many organisational scientists are increasingly raising question regarding

the most fundamental assumption underlying their research activities. This appraisal of purposes,

methods and epistemologies of organisational science is evident in action research .The users of

action research demands a research process that is relevant for both the practitioner who is

struggling with a set of problems, as well as for the scholar whose purpose is to contribute in

advancement of our currentknowledge in management research.

Action research may be an effective research tool providing opportunity to make social sciences

applicable to the organisational life. Therefore, the nature of action research has been discussed

in a broader context in many countries and it has been argued that if organisational issues are

considered as social problems, action research can prove to be an effective research method. The

proponents of action research have claimed that action research can overcome the problematic

relationship between theory and practice.

This article provides an overview of the method to show its potential as a research technique in

management research along with the history, meaning and features of action research. The

researchers have shed light on this issue and have presented the views of some researchers in

relation to action research. In order to clarify the issue, some epistemological point of view about


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action research have been discussed. Finally, the usefulness of action research as a method to

bridge the gap between theory and practice has been examined.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ACTION RESEARCH

Action research has the twin aims of practical guidance to people faced with immediate problems

and contributing to the goals of social science (Rapoport, 1970). In its attempt to focus on

practical problems of organisations and people, action research has been concerned with

developing new ways of bringing change and to promote learning to ensure that the change

process is sustainable. In management research Lewin is generally regarded as the first who have

made conscious use of the expression action research in the 1940s (Lewin, 1946 and 1947). He

produced action research as a mode of social research that intended to overcome some of the

shortcomings of positivism. He combined action and research by arguing that a social

situation may be best understood if a change could be introduced into it and its effects are

observable.

After the work of Lewin (1946 and 1947), subsequent researchers like Argris and Schon (1989),

Baburoglu and Ravn (1992), Coch and French (1948), Cock (1994), Cook (1949), Rice (1955),

Emery and Trist (1972), Emery and Thorsud (1976), Elden and Chisholm (1993), Gill (1982),

Gill and Johnson (1991), Greenwood, Whyte, and Harkavy (1993), Karapin (1986), Palmar and

Jacobson (1971), Petter and Robbinson (1984), Rapoport (1970), Rice (1955), Shani and Bush

(1987), Shani and Pasmore (1985), Sommer (1987), Susman and Evered (1978), Walton and

Graffiney and Wilson, Trist and Cule (1952) have made contribution in the area, among others.

MEANING OF ACTION RESEARCH

According to Lewin (1947), the main feature of action research is to lead some kind of action

and research, on the effects of that action by understanding the dynamic nature of change and


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studying it under controlled condition as it took place. However, he never provided a

comprehensive definition of the action research. The question thus remains whether Lewin

(1947) was only describing a new applied research strategy or wanted to propose a new

epistemological basis for social research. According to Palmer and Jacobson (1971), action

research is a way of using research to further social action in which "numbers of people can be

organised around tasks of defining problems and finding facts in such a way that the research

itself becomes a part of empowermentand action" (Palmer and Jacobson, 1971).

As observed by Cook,

" a basic hypothesis of action research is that a self survey is more likelythan a survey conducted by outsiders to result in changes in the social practices

of the group surveyed".

(Cook, 1949)

It has been argued that very few researchers have actually picked up the epistemological issue

and tried to link the action research mode of enquiry to a particular interpretation of social

science (Peters and Robinson, 1984). The most widely used definition of action research in

management context is that of Rapoport (1970). As observed by Rapoport:

"Action Research aims to contribute both to the practical concerns of people in an

immediate problematic situation and to the goals of social science by jointcollaboration within a mutually acceptable ethical framework".

(Rapoport, 1970).

The above definition given by Rapoport is characterised by (a) the immediacy of researcher's

involvement in action, and (b) the action of both parties (researcher on consultant and client

organisation) to be involved in change.


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From the above definition we can easily imagine that action research aims to solve practical

problems and at the same time contribute to knowledge. Thus, we are in a position to say that

action research is of higher utility because it is able to bridge the gap between theory and

practice. The definition made by Rapoport (1970) essentially focused on the concept of

collaboration and the aims of action research. In addition to the two aims of action research

highlighted by Rapoport (1970), Susman and Evered (1978) have added a third aim of action

research, that is to develop the self help competencies of people facing problems. Interestingly,

with the addition of this third aim the definition has characterised contemporary action research

more precisely.

The practice of action research can be said to be a cyclical inquiry process which helps to

identify the problem, to plan for action executing the action plan and to evaluate the results there

off. However, it can be argued here that evaluation may lead to another cycle of the above

activities. In this cyclical inquiry process the researcher and the client works in close

collaboration. Put it in the other way, in action research, the research "subjects" have an active

part like co-researchers.

The methodology of action research is somewhat different from other research methods where

the research "subjects" do not participate in the research process in the sense of having a say in

the process. As we have already mentioned two of the main aims of action research are to solve

real organisational problems, and to develop self help competencies in organisational members,

hence those who experience or "own" the real problems must be actively involved in the action

research. In fact, it is the organisational member who have the specific knowledge of the


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problems, who must finally live with the changes made, so it is necessary that the organisation

must be directly involved.

The entire process of collaboration and co-enquiry take place at each stage of the action research

process (Gill and Johnson, 1991). Even though different action research projects may have either

the client or the researcher taking the initiative or regulating at any one stage, collaboration and

co-inquiry is accomplished when there is a mutual agreement at each stage of the action research

sequence. It is only through this way that real problems are clearly identified, the action plan

implemented the way it is intended, valid data collected, the effectiveness of the outcome

correctly evaluated, and self-determination capabilities developed. If developing self-help

competencies is a goal, then the organisational members must learn how to make sense of their

own data in terms of their own language and in relation to their own perception and values

(Elden and Chisholm, 1993). Hence, we can say that their direct involvement is crucial.

It is evident from the above discussion that action research has a unique nature in the sense that

the action researcher becomes involved first hand in action research. It is an essential pre -

condition for any action research that the action researcher must develop close relationships with

the organisational members and must thoroughly understood the organisational system

beforehand. Shani and Pasmore (1985) have argued that it is only through intimate first hand

knowledge that the researcher can make appropriate suggestions which provide the foundation

for a better understanding for the findings of his evaluation. In action research, the first hand

role of the researcher essentially enhances the collaborative type of element in it. It is the first

hand role behaviour such as empathetic understanding, taking the role of the other and non-


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directive interviewing that are the key elements of success of the action research method (Gill

and Johnson, 1991).

It may be very useful and relevant at this stage to focus on a study of action research approached

by Robert Sommer (1987). Sommer has found the evidence that action research approach have

more favourable results than other approaches in the social sciences. In this study, the surveys

were undertaken in collaboration with a statewide federation of fourteen memorial societies.

Four memorial/co-operative societies were selected for the study, two in the northern portion and

two in the southern portion. For two societies, an action research methodology was used whereby

the societies participated in the survey planning and received both prescriptive results and

technical assistance from the researchers. The other two societies did not participate in planning

and received only descriptive results. Follow up interviews with the societies officers provided

evidence that those societies highly involved in the survey planning and received technical

assistance disseminated and used the results more often, and had more favourable attitudes

towards the researchers than did those societies characterised by low involvement or no

assistance. The researcher found these results supported the efficacy of an action research

approach combining self-survey with technical assistance.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF ACTION RESEARCH

In order to identify the distinguishing features of action research, several attempts have been

made by many researchers who have analysed the work of action researchers from the view point

of conventional types of social research. Lewin (1947) and subsequent researchers have

conceived 'action research' as a cyclical inquiry process that involves diagnosing a problem

situation, planning action steps and implementing and evaluating outcome. Peter and Robinson


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(1984) while analysing relevant action research found that the shared features of action research

are (a) problem focus, (b) action orientation, (c) cyclical process, and (d)

collaboration/participation. Susman and Evered (1978) describes the essential characteristics of

action research as (a) future oriented, (b) collaborative, (c) contributing to system development,

(d) diagnostic, and (e) situational.

In their review of relevant literature, Shani and Bushe (1987) highlighted four key emergent

processes as the salient features of an action research such as (a) the emerging socio-task

system, (b) the co-inquiry process, (c) the integration process, and (d) experimentation process.

On the other hand, Elden and Chisholm (1993) analysed five contemporary action research

cases, and identified (a) contextual focus, (b) purposes and value choice, (c) change base, (d)

participation, and (e) knowledge diffusion, as the five shared features of action research.

From the different views held by different researchers, it can be emphasised that their thought are

not unanimous in their definition of action research and particularly in their methodological

approaches. Nonetheless, all these stand as one when they show that the central features of action

research are collaboration and achievements of its three aims solely through problem focus. As

action research focuses on problems, Susman and Evered (1978) held the opinion that it takes on

an approach that is concerned with the development of action principles or guides that evaluate

actions within organisational contexts. It was further argued by them that action research

" facilitates the developments of 'practices' which provide the action

researcher with know-how such as how to act in un-prescribed non programmedsituations, how to generate organisational self-help , how to establish action

guides where none exist, how to review, revise, redefine the system of which we

are part, how to formulate fruitful metaphors, constructs, and images forarticulating a more desirable future".


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(Susman and Evered, 1978)

In addition, the unique feature of action research is that essentially it provides different kind of

epistemological base which helps in achieving its goals in contributing to our knowledge, solving

real problems and enabling organisations to develop self-help competencies (Susman and

Evered, 1978).

THE GAP BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

The main thrust in this section is to what extent action research can help to overcome the gap

between 'theory' and 'practice'. For the solution of organisational problems, conventional

research has generally failed to assist managers which is called the theory-practice gap. It may be

argued that conventional methods of social research can be criticised as theory focused and

hence, it has a very little value to managers as well as practitioners.Then a question normally

arises why? Thomas (1993) has made a valuable discussion on this issue, and has mentioned

that there are three areas where this lack of integration is visible.

The first point raised by Thomas (1993) is the lack of integration between various social science

disciplines like sociology, psychology, and economics with their different terminologies, theories

and research methods, no wonder they find it difficult to communicate across disciplinary

boundaries. This becomes particularly tangible when we look at the curriculum for management

programmes. On the one hand, subjects like organisational behaviour draw heavily from the

theories of psychology and sociology, and on the other hand, subjects like finance and

accounting rely heavily on the theoretical foundations of econometrics, economics, mathematics,


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and operational research, and it is not unusual to find, would be managers specialising in one or

few functional areas as many a time paying very inadequate attention to particular disciplines.

This continues on their jobs as well, because of higher level of specialisation involved in the

nature of jobs. Thomas (1993) has made it clear that why most of the time managers question the

utility of social science in practice.

The second point raised by Thomas (1993) is that the problem faced by managers and the

problem addressed by social scientists do not match. In the third point Thomas (1993) argues that

there is a lack of social integration between social scientists and managers. The requirements of

social scientists and managers are different. Social scientists live in their academic world with

different career interests and have got preferences for making contributions to knowledge, while

managers live in the world of business and industry with different career interests and desires. In

spite of this, managers are facing the pressure of competition in the fast growing modern

business and industry world, and sometimes short perspective of the situation.

In practice, these the above mentioned difficulties are responsible for limited acceptance and

utilisation of social sciences. However, action research approach provides the opportunity to

overcome these difficulties for the client organisation, as s/he works closely with the client. Due

to its participatory nature and directly addressing the organisational problems, action research

has the potential to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Through action research

approach, action researcher has to keep his or her academic goals in mind as well as to do

something useful.


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According to Susman and Evered (1978), as a social science, the aim of action research is not

formulation of universal laws, but to focus situation specific insights. The action researcher

intervenes the problem situation for improving the self-help action taking competencies of the

individuals as well as to facilitate learning at the level of the organisation. The purpose of action

research is to advance theories about the new organisation and the range process that produced it

(Walten and Gaffney, 1989).

Baburgo and Ravn (1992) has criticises action research on the ground that the relation between

practical knowledge and scientific knowledge produced through action research is not clear.

It is very difficult to say whether action research is a synthesis of action and research or a

mere juxtaposition of action and research. These researchers provided a new concept of scientific

organisational knowledge which can be produced through what they called 'normative action

research'. They introduced three closely related normative planning approaches, which they

argue may serve as a new basis for scientific knowledge of organisational research. These three

approaches are (a) the concepts of 'active adaptive planning' proposed by Emery and Trist

(1972); (b) 'normative planning' proposed by Ozbekhan (1970); and (c) 'interactive planning'

proposed by Ackoff (1975). These three approaches share that social action must be guided by

an imagined, desirable future rather than by a fragmented problematic present alone. These

approaches are quite different from conventional planning approaches in which the future is

mere extension and extrapolating of present and past.

Normative planning process takes the future as the starting point. It encourages the stakeholders

of the system to question the self-imposed constraints and assumptions as well as transcend the


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conventional definitions of what is possible and realistic and engage in creating more desirable

state of affairs. The question is what has normative planning approaches with explicit futures

orientation got to do with action research? This question have been answered by Susman and

Evered (1978) as follows:

"Action Research is future oriented. In dealing with practical concerns of the

people, action research is oriented toward creating a more desirable future forthem. Human beings are therefore recognised as purposeful systems the actions of

which are guided by goals, objectives and ideas. Being future oriented, action

research has close affinities to the planning process, so that planning research

may be potentially useful in informing action research and vice versa".(Susman and Evered, 1978)

From the above discussion, it is evident that action research possesses some unique properties to

bridge the gap between theory and practice. We have identified certain reasons for theory

practice gap and if each one is evaluated against the properties of action research, one may be

able to determine the extent to which it can overcome the theory-practice gap.

EPISTEMOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW ABOUT ACTION RESEARCH

It has been argued by several researchers that from the epistemological point of view action

research is not scientific, which is a clear contradiction of the principles of positivism and

empiricism (Schon, 1983; Elden and Chisholm, 1993; and Susman and Evered, 1978). If social

science is to be held by the principles of positivism, then action research cannot contribute to

knowledge and thus will be incapable to achieve one of its aims. If action research can be

accepted as a kind of science with a different epistemological base, that is capable of producing a

kind of knowledge which is contingent in the particular situation, and which develops the


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capacity of members of the organisation to solve their own problems (Susman and Evered,

1978) then action research is acceptable to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Whereas, Karapin (1986) argued that"it is less certain that social science researchers actually

use positivists methodologies in their work", Elden and Chisholm (1993) supported the view of

Susman and Evered (1978) when they defined action research as an enabling science. Further,

since action research is based on change, there is no other science that can better study

change which is a continuous and unpredictable phenomenon in an organisation. Apart from

this,social science has failed to address whole practical problems. Action research attempts to

enhance knowledge that is grounded on the real world problems, and real problems are not

grounded on a single discipline. As such the emphasis is on getting the manager to define the

problem, agree on an appropriate framework, decide and implement a change strategy to make

himself reliant. In order to do so, it is important that one should be able to view the problem from

the angle of the various disciplines. Participative and collaborative work promotes this and

hence, action research does help to overcome the gap between theory and practice.

Another problem is the 'interesting study acceptable to the specific community' which expects to

exist until the concept of 'practice generates theory' becomes acceptable to the social scientists.

Finally, there is a lack of social integration between social scientists and managers, which seems

to continue for an equally long time. The soothing point is that collaboration in action research

forces mental agreement and mutual education at every stage of the process between the social

scientists and the managers. This has greatly enhanced communication between the two and

promotes the bridging between theory practice gap.


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It may be emphasised here that collaboration is not an easily achievable phenomenon as many

factors can hinder such collaborations. Ethical issues may arise, one may attempt to control the

other, change being a new experience may cause partnerships to fall apart, and the social

scientists and the managers has always set different priorities to the two main aims of action

research.In such a situation, one may argue that though action research may help to overcome

the gap between the theory and practice, it may be a difficult process to achieve.

CONCLUSIONS

In essence, action research focuses on the collaboration to bring change in an organisation and

to solve real problems faced by organisation. Organisations are always in a dynamic state with an

ever-changing environment to their problems. Hence, the most significant contribution of action

research is not to solve an immediate problem, but to facilitate the development of self-help

competencies so that the organisational members are able to continue the cyclical process of

action research even after the social scientists has left the scene. This would be the greatest

contribution the social scientists can make to bridge the theory practice gap.

All organisations have important problems to solve and opportunities for significant

improvements. The task of action researcher is to refine and improve the generalisability of the

theory, which encourages others. Research opportunities have been made available to

researcher, which would probably not, otherwise, have come to light. Professionals have been

able to work with academic researchers and vice versa with the objective of, mutually, satisfying

their goals.


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The action research methodology is particularly helpful when the certainties of the past and the

present cannot be assumed to hold true for the future, and searching for causal links in the past

may shed light on the reality of the future. Despite various stages of action research which

evolve working closely with the client system, the researcher has to try and keep his/her

academic goals in mind as well as deliver something useful to the client system. Although the

action researcher faces some dilemmas, it is not an unusual issue in social science research only;

it is there in the natural science as well. Looking at the potential of action research to reduce the

gap between knowledge and action, the dilemmas needs to be faced and action research needs to

be encouraged. As a matter of fact there is a need for a bridge to link the knowledge producing

action research and the application of that knowledge. Action research methodology can be that

bridge, perhaps standing on epistemological pillars which is different from those supporting the

positivist methodologies.


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Cock, C. de. : Action Research: In Search Of A New Epistemology? International Journal ofManagement11 (1994): 791-797.

Cook, S. W. (1949). Introduction.Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 5, pp. 2-4.

Elden, M. and R. F. Chisholm (1993), Emerging Varieties of Action Research: Introduction to

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Applied Behavioural Science, Vol. 20, pp. 113-124.

Rapoport, R. N. (1970), Three Dilemmas in action research, Human Relations, Vol. 23, pp.

488-513.

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Human Relations,Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 199-249.

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Action Research Process, in D. Warwick, (ed.), Contemporary Organisationdevelopment. Glenview, Illions: Scott Foresman.

Sommer, R.(1987), An Experimental Investigation Of Action Research Approach, The Journal

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