Action research as a meta-methodology in the management field

Although it was first developed in the field of psychology, action research is a methodology of growing importance in business and management contexts. In this research article, we focus on a significant aspect of action research: the variety of methodologies that can be used jointly in an action re...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Erro-Garcés, A. (Amaya)|||/items/7fb53b74-e7fd-4724-b486-07c9e90aaae3, Alfaro-Tanco, J.A. (José Antonio)|||/items/c8c84ba9-19bf-4076-bf5d-8cd43e9ec740
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Navarra
Repositorio:Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dadun.unav.edu:10171/65281
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/10171/65281
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Action research
Meta-analysis
Methodology
Qualitative research
Review
Descrição
Resumo:Although it was first developed in the field of psychology, action research is a methodology of growing importance in business and management contexts. In this research article, we focus on a significant aspect of action research: the variety of methodologies that can be used jointly in an action research study and its relationships. More specifically, the aim of this study is to underscore the definition of action research as a meta-methodology that encompasses different ways of carrying out empirical research. To this end, we perform a meta-analysis of articles discussing empirical research that used an action research methodology. The meta-analysis is based on a systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2018. The main findings suggest that action research may be regarded as a multidisciplinary method and that it can be implemented jointly with other methodologies; not just qualitative methods but also quantitative research. Consequently, action research may now be defined as a meta-methodology or an umbrella process. In this way, action research is a tool whose implementation ought to be promoted in the business/management field as a way of enhancing relevant, rigorous empirical studies and serving as a framework reference in projects based on research and practice contribution as well as active collaboration between researchers and practitioners.