Academic Journal
The contribution of action research to actionable knowledge in the field of management.
| Title: | The contribution of action research to actionable knowledge in the field of management. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Bleijenbergh, Inge L.1 (AUTHOR) inge.bleijenbergh@ru.nl, Wal, Merel M.1 (AUTHOR), Korzilius, Hubert P. L. M.1 (AUTHOR), Rouwette, Etiënne A. J. A.1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | European Management Review. Aug2026, p1. 17p. 2 Illustrations. |
| Subject Terms: | *Organizational change, *Organizational learning, Action research, Organization management, Theory of knowledge, Evaluation methodology, Reflexivity |
| Abstract: | A key strength of action research is producing actionable knowledge that is relevant for addressing complex issues, including the grand challenges of our time, but this production is hindered by the underdevelopment of specific quality criteria for assessing such knowledge. This paper aims to contribute to the advancement of actionable knowledge in the field of management by reviewing the knowledge contribution of action research and clarifying the various criteria scholars use to assess the quality of this contribution. In a semi‐systematic literature review, we studied 320 empirical action research papers in leading management journals between 2005 and 2023. We found that action research contributes to actionable knowledge about organizational processes, organizational change, and the role of experiences and context in organizational learning. We show that scholars mainly use the criteria of reflexivity, validity, relevance, and usefulness to assess the quality of action research. Taking into account the emancipatory, participatory, and scholarly character of action research, we further develop these criteria by elaborating on reflexivity in interactions with participants, the validity of knowledge for participants, the relevance of integrating academic and practitioner knowledge, and the symbolic, conceptual, and instrumental dimensions of usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Business Source Index |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The contribution of action research to actionable knowledge in the field of management. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bleijenbergh%2C+Inge+L%2E%22">Bleijenbergh, Inge L.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> inge.bleijenbergh@ru.nl</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wal%2C+Merel+M%2E%22">Wal, Merel M.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Korzilius%2C+Hubert+P%2E+L%2E+M%2E%22">Korzilius, Hubert P. L. M.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rouwette%2C+Etiënne+A%2E+J%2E+A%2E%22">Rouwette, Etiënne A. J. A.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22European+Management+Review%22">European Management Review</searchLink>. Aug2026, p1. 17p. 2 Illustrations. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+change%22">Organizational change</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+learning%22">Organizational learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Action+research%22">Action research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organization+management%22">Organization management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Theory+of+knowledge%22">Theory of knowledge</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Evaluation+methodology%22">Evaluation methodology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reflexivity%22">Reflexivity</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: A key strength of action research is producing actionable knowledge that is relevant for addressing complex issues, including the grand challenges of our time, but this production is hindered by the underdevelopment of specific quality criteria for assessing such knowledge. This paper aims to contribute to the advancement of actionable knowledge in the field of management by reviewing the knowledge contribution of action research and clarifying the various criteria scholars use to assess the quality of this contribution. In a semi‐systematic literature review, we studied 320 empirical action research papers in leading management journals between 2005 and 2023. We found that action research contributes to actionable knowledge about organizational processes, organizational change, and the role of experiences and context in organizational learning. We show that scholars mainly use the criteria of reflexivity, validity, relevance, and usefulness to assess the quality of action research. Taking into account the emancipatory, participatory, and scholarly character of action research, we further develop these criteria by elaborating on reflexivity in interactions with participants, the validity of knowledge for participants, the relevance of integrating academic and practitioner knowledge, and the symbolic, conceptual, and instrumental dimensions of usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of European Management Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/emre.70098 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Organizational change Type: general – SubjectFull: Organizational learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Action research Type: general – SubjectFull: Organization management Type: general – SubjectFull: Theory of knowledge Type: general – SubjectFull: Evaluation methodology Type: general – SubjectFull: Reflexivity Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The contribution of action research to actionable knowledge in the field of management. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Bleijenbergh, Inge L. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wal, Merel M. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Korzilius, Hubert P. L. M. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rouwette, Etiënne A. J. A. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 06 M: 08 Text: Aug2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 17404754 Titles: – TitleFull: European Management Review Type: main |
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