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ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Action Research & OD

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INTRODUCTIONDual purpose of action research:

Making action more effective.Building a body of scientific knowledge around that action.

Action refers to: Programs and interventions designed to solve problems and improve conditions.

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A Process and An ApproachAction research is a process, an ongoing series of events and actions.Definition:

Action research is the process of systematically collecting research data about an ongoing system relative to some objective, goal, or need of that system; feeding these data back into the system;taking actions by altering selected variables within the system based both on the data and on hypotheses; andevaluating the results of actions by collecting more data.

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Action research also known as an approach to problem solving.Example: Herbert Shepard, 1969, conducted an action research on a group of oil refineries.

Highlighted the relations among goals (objectives), planning, and action in a diagram.

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Action Research Model(Problem solving approach)

Objective

Planning

Action Step 1

Fact Finding

Planning

Action Step 2

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Examples of AO in ODGavin - conducted a comprehensive survey feedback program in a mining company of approximately 400 employees.Eberhardt - conducted an action research project designed to improve the effectiveness of health care teams at a medical rehabilitation hospital.Santalained and Hunt – who used OD program in a Finnish banking group.