1. ACTION RESEARCH
AND
ORGANIZATION
DEVELOPMENT

2. INTRODUCTION
 Action research attempts to meets the dual goals of making
action more effective and building a body of scientific
knowledge around that action. Action in this context refers to
programs and intervention designed to solve problems and
improve condition.
 KURT LEWIN, as a consummate applied social scientist and
motivated by an interest in eradicating the problems of
society, purposed action research as a new methodology for
behavioral science.
 LEWIN believed that research on action programs, especially
social change programs, imperative if progress were to be
made in solving social problem.
 Action research can also be undertaken by larger organizations
or institutions, assisted or guided by professional
researchers, with the aim of improving their
strategies, practices and knowledge of the environments within
which they practice.

3. ACTION RESEARCH: A PROCESS AND
AN APPROACH
 Action research may be describe as a process, that is an
ongoing series of events and action. It may be defined as
follows:
 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 action by altering selected
variables within the system based on the data and on
hypotheses; and evaluating the results of action by
collecting more data.

4.  Several author have noted the importance of viewing action
research as a process. In a study of the Tremont hotel in
Chicago, William F. Whyte and Edith L. Hamilton describe
their work as follows:
 what was the project? It was an action research program for
management. They developed a process for applying human
relations research findings to the changing of organization
behavior. The word process is important, for this was not a
one-short affair. The project involved a continuous gathering
and analysis of human relations research data and the
feeding of the findings into the organization in such a way as
to change behavior.

5.  FRENCH shows how action research can be used as a
generic process in organization development. The process is
iterative and cyclical. He clarifies as follow:
 The key aspect of the model are diagnosis, data gathering.
Feedback to the client group, data discussion and work by
the client group, action planning, and action. The sequence
tends to be cyclical, with the focus on new or advance
problems as the client group learns to work more effectively
together.
 Action research process in two different ways. It is a
sequence of events and activities within each iteration (data
collection, feedback, and taking action based on the data);
and it is a cycle if iterations of these activities, sometimes
treating the same problem several times and then moving to
different problem.

6. etc
Joint action Action (new behavior) Action
planning(objectives of OD
program & means of Action planning
Action
attaining goals, e.g. “team
planning(determination of
building”)
objective & how to get Discussion and work on
there)
feedback & emerging
Feedback to key client or data
client group Discussion & work on data
feedback & data by client
group(new attitudes, new
Further data gathering perspectives emerge) Feed
back
Data gathering and Feedback to client
diagnosis by consultant group(e.g.. In term-
building Data Gathering
sessions, summary (reassessment of state
Consultation with feedback by consultant; of the system)
behavioral scientist elaboration by group)
consultant
Data gathering
Key executive perception
of problem

7. ACTION RESEARCH AS AN APPROACH
 Action research may also be described as an approach
to problem solving, thus suggesting its usefulness as a
model, guide or paradigm.
 The desired out comes of the action research approach
are solutions to immediate problems and a contribution
to scientific knowledge and theory.
 HERBERT SHEPARD SAYS one of the behavioral
scientist involved in that program defines the nature of
action research.
 Action research is the application of the scientific
method of fact-finding and experimentation to practical
problems requiring actions solution and involving the
collaboration and cooperation of scientists, practitioners
and laypersons.

8. ACTION RESEARCH MODEL AS A
PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
objective Action Action
Step step
1 2
Fact-
planning planning
finding

9.  The action research model is a normative model for learning, or a
model for planned change. Its main features are – In front of
intelligent human action there should be an objective, so fuzzy or
distorted. And in advance of human action there should be planning
, although knowledge of paths to the objective is always inadequate.
 Action itself should be taken a step at a time, and after each step it
is well to do some fact-finding. The fact-finding may disclose
whether the objective is realistic, whether it is nearer of more distant
than before, whether it needs alteration. Through fact-finding, the
present situation can be assessed, and this information, together
with information about the objective, can be used in planning the
second step. Movement toward an objective consists of a series of
such cycles of planning-acting-fact-finding-planning.
 SHEPARD highlights the relation among goals(objective), planning,
and action in his diagram- a point we think is an important feature of
action research. Both HE and FRENCH emphasize that action
research is research inextricably linked to action; it is research with
a purpose, that is, to guide present and future action

10. HISTORY IN ACTION RESEARCH
JOHN DEWEY translated the scientific method of
problem solving into terms understandable to
practitioner and layperson who incorporated the
ideas into action research several years later.
The origin of action research can be traced to two
independent sources.
One source JOHN COLLIER was a man of practical
affairs the other KURT LEWIN was a man of science.
JOHN COLLIER was commissioner of indian affairs
from 1933 to 1945, a role in which he had to
diagnose problems and recommend remedial
programs for improving race relations.

11. COLLIER called this form of research action
research . The solution must be relevant and
feasible.
To be able to implement a good action plan
requires cooperation of decline.
The other measure source of action research
,social psychologist KURT LEWIN was profoundly
interested in applying social science knowledge to
help solve social problems.

12. LEWIN applied action research principle to
improving intergroup relations and to changing
eating habits, LIPPITT and LIPPITT and RADKE
apply the rule to an extensive community
relations project. BAVELAS conducted an action
research project on leadership training coach
and French applied the model to studying
resistance to change in an industrial plant.

13. VARIETIES OF ACTION RESEARCH
There are 4 varities-
1.Diagnostic.
2.Participant.
3.Empirical.
4.Experimental.

14. EXAMPLES OF ACTION RESEARCH
1.A comprehensive survey feedbackprogram by
Gavin.
2.Shani & Eberhardt conducted an action research to
improve the effectiveness of heath care terms at
hospital.
3.An Indian Company L&T's ECC group.

15. CONCLUSION
Two philosophical and pragmatic values underline action
research. The first is that programs designed to solve
real problems should be based on valid public data
generated collaboratively but clients and consultants .
This belief calls for actions to be based on diagnostic
research.
The second value is that action in the real world should be
accompanied by research on that action in order to build
a cumulative body of knowledge and theory of the effects
of various actions directed to solving real world problems.
Thus actions to solve real world problems offer a unique
opportunity for both the scientific researcher and the
administrator-layperson if they approach from the
standpoint of the action research model