Action research in organisations / Jean McNiff ; accompanied by Jack Whitehead.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [302]-322) and index.

Machine generated contents note: The contributors xi -- Acknowledgements xv -- Introduction -- The new scholarship 1 A book of evolutions 5 -- New theories of discourse 8 -- The second cognitive revolution 12 -- Management learning 16 -- Accountingfor my own learning 19 -- Why am I writing this book, and why areyou reading it? 22 -- Prologue: contextualising the study 25 --PART I -- What is the nature of organisational knowledge? 33 -- 1 Learning organisations and the responsibility of managers 37 -- I What is the nature of organisational knowledge? 38 -- 2 How is organisational knowledge acquired? 44 3 How is organisational knowledge put to use? 51 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor the development of learning organisations? 55 -- Learning about learning 60 -- JIMMY RYAN -- 2 Learning organisations as good societies 67 -- 1 What is the nature of a learning organisation? 68 -- 2 How are learning organisations created? 76 -- 3 How are learning organisations put to use? 83 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor organisation theory as aform of educational theory? 85 -- Journeyman 89 -- StAMUS LILLIS -- 3 Action research, power and control 95 -- 1 What is the nature of power? 102 -- 2 How is power acquired? 104 -- 3 How ispowerput to use? 109 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor organisation theory as a discourse of power? 113 -- Collaboration for co-liberation: a story of intentional intervention 115 -- PIP BRUCE FERGUSON -- PART II -- How is organisational knowledge acquired? 125 -- 4 Doing research 127 -- 1 What is the nature of research knowledge? 128 -- 2 How is research knowledge acquired? 133 -- 3 How is research knowledge put to use? 137 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor social living? 139 -- 5 Empirical research 142 -- 1 What is the nature of empirical research knowledge? 144 -- 2 How is empirical research knowledge acquired? 147 3 How is empirical research knowledge put to use? 149 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor organisation theory as a theory of social renewal? 151 -- Rehabilitating sexual offenders in religious communities 154 -- PAUL MURPHY -- 6 Interpretive research 160 -- 1 What is the nature of interpretive research knowledge? 162 -- 2 How is interpretive research knowledge acquired? 164 -- 3 How is interpretive research knowledge put to use? 168 -- 4 What are the potential implicationsfor organisation theory as aform of reflective practice? 170 -- Understanding my work as a group leader in employment counselling 173 -- BREDA LONG -- 7 Critical theoretic research 177 -- 1 What is the nature of critical research knowledge? 178 -- 2 How is critical research knowledge acquired? 181 -- 3 How is critical research knowledgeput to use? 184 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor organisation theory as a critical social science? 188 -- Courage to risk, courage to be free 192 -- EILEEN ROSS -- 8 Action research 197 -- 1 What is the nature of action research knowledge? 202 -- 2 How is action research undertaken? 204 -- 3 How is action research put to use? 210 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor organisation theory as a process of social renewal? 216 -- PART III -- How is organisational knowledge put to use? 219 -- 9 Action research in organisations 221 -- 1 What is the nature of action research in organisations? 227 -- 2 How is action research supported in organisations? 229 3 How is action research put to use in organisations? 236 -- 4 What are the implicationsfor new theories of organisation as theories of conversational communities? 238 -- 10 New theories of organisation '242 -- I What is the nature of new theories of organisation? 243 -- 2 How are new theories of organisation generated? 245 -- 3 How are new theories of organisation put to use? 251 -- 4 What are the potential implicationsfor organisation theory as a theory of research-basedprofessionalism? 254 -- PART IV -- What are the implications of living theories of organisation for social living? 257 -- 11 What should be the focus of management education? 259 -- Action research and the production of working knowledge 259 -- JOHN GARRICK -- Dialogue, learning and management education 261 -- CARL RHODES -- Enquiry in action in business education? 264 -- JOHN H. M. ELLIS AND JULIA A. KIELY -- What should be thefocus of management education? 269 -- LIAM NAGLE -- What should be thefocus of management education? 272 -- CHRIS JAMES -- 12 My epistemology of practice of the superintendency 274 -- JACQUELINE DELONG -- 13 How one school is fulfilling the vision of Peter Senge's 'learning organisation' 285 -- CARMEL LILLIS -- Epilogue: reconciliations 297 -- References 302 -- Index 323.