A Call to Action

A Call to Action

Reflecting, once again, upon the need to nurture a more integrated approach to IT-enabled change, some writers contend that the study of organisational processes of change cannot be conducted well without affecting their very nature and therefore advocate the legitimacy of action-oriented philosophies to guide the research process (Argyris, Putnam, & Smith, 1985; Gummesson, 1991; Schein, 1991). In this regard, action research has received significant attention (Chakravarthy & Doz, 1992; Checkland, 1981; Huber & Van de Ven, 1995; Van de Ven, 1992) while clinical inquiry, a contemporary development of action research, has received relatively limited attention (Coghlan & McDonagh, 2001; McDonagh & Coghlan, 2000).

Advocating the legitimacy of action research Chakravarthy and Doz (1992) contend that organisational processes cannot be researched well without possibly affecting their very nature. "Rather than ignore the issue or only harp upon the occasional consulting dimension to process research, we believe action research should gain more legitimacy" (p. 10). Such advocacy is congruent with the core characteristics of action research, a theme that will be addressed later (Argyris et al., 1985; Eden & Huxham, 1996; Susman & Evered, 1978).

In a similar vein, Van de Ven (1992) contends that embracing an action research approach implies:

"significant investigator commitment and organisational access, which few investigators have achieved to date. One reason why gaining organisational access has been problematic is because investigators seldom place themselves into the manager's frame of reference to conduct their studies. Without observing a change process from a manager's perspective, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, for an investigator to understand the dynamics confronting managers who are involved in a strategic change effort, and thereby generate new knowledge that advances theory and practice" (p. 181).

The appropriateness of action research in the study of organisational processes of change has been forcefully argued over the years (Argyris et al., 1985; Gummesson, 1991).