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Conducting Action Research: Relationships between Organization Members and Researchers

University of Michigan

Susan J. Schurman

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Margrit K. Hugentobler

University of Michigan

Action research in an organizational setting draws researchers and the employees involved into a joint process aimed at meeting both research and intervention objectives. The active collaboration of participants has major implications for researcher roles, and the manner in which these role shifts are carried out has a significant effect on study outcomes. Few have concretely analyzed the issues faced by researchers and organization members as they assume shared roles in the action research process. This article treats the relational aspect of researcher-participant co-investigation as a methodological issue. The authors share aspects of their experience in implementing an action research project aimed at understanding and reducing the deleterious effects of occupational stress. Relationships between researchers and organization members are dynamic. As they develop over time, role-related tensions and differences may arise around the issues of values and interests, resources and skills, control, political realities, and rewards and costs. Each of these is addressed, using examples from the authors' recently completed 6-year study. Further, the action research study participants helped revise this article and that process taught the authors much about these methodological issues.

The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol. 28, No. 1, 74-101 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/0021886392281008


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