"Research Action": Organizational Feedback, Understanding, and Change

Abstract

This article focuses on the relationship between "research" and "action" as contradictory and complementary activities. Recent research and theory indicate the two may be synergistic and difficult to separate. It is suggested that mutual exchange of information between investigator and respondents is critical to both increased understanding ("research") and constructive change ("action"). The events in a case study of organizational diagnosis in a school and the outcomes of feedback of that diagnosis are examined in this context. The data indicate that information sharing improved the relationships between investigators and respondents, improved the quality of the diagnosis, and increased student involvement in school life. Some implications of the concept of "research action" for researchers and practitioners are discussed.