Dr. S. Steven Whitaker – Posted on June 14, 2021
Literature rooted in action and feminist research noted that individuals had differing perspectives regarding affairs; and that is a need to listen to and share these differing perspectives for successfully carrying out organizational development (OD) and change processes. Thus, learning from others and dialogical methods establish the fundamental aspects of these processes. As a democratic and participatory process, action research focuses on the development of practical knowledge in pursuing significant human purposes, well-grounded in a participatory worldview. Action research intends to bring practice and theory and reflection and action together in participation with other individuals and in pursuing a practical solution to any issues of significance to human beings. The aim of action research is creating new methods of understandings and working toward practical outcomes, and there is a participatory tradition as well.
The aim of the participatory tradition of action research is toward empowering human beings, giving them a platform, and a voice for participation and aims towards hearing and making use of their experience(s) for generating changes. The linguistic turn in the social sciences influenced researchers toward applying dialogical methods in the undertakings of action research. The basis of such methods is on differing theoretical backgrounds that concern organizational change and dialogue. Feminist action research shares similar ideals of action research.
Numerous feminist action researchers adopted a dual agenda for change and addressed gender equality issues in business organizations. This dual agenda suggested such organizations could develop strategies for increasing the amount of interactive and diverse organizations. In effect, this would lead to improvements in the capacity for meeting the fundamental goals of organizations. Although, this would involve risks that the business-piece of such an approach would have a higher degree of legitimacy than the gender-piece, and gender could be a forgotten thought. Therefore, researchers would need to behave particularly careful regarding the method of representing their goal(s). First, accessing the organization could be dependent on the framing of the objectives and second, because of the ambiguity in any goal(s), researchers could perpetuate, instead of combat, organizations’ inequalities.
Combating organizations’ inequalities and internally working on gender issues is difficult regarding changing embedded systems of power and engaging organizational members to address the aspects of life within organizations that are an unwelcome influence. Additionally, it is a challenge because any change could be threatening and uncomfortable for organizational members, or possible at least for any member(s) in a position of privilege. In the change process, the concept of gender can effortlessly get lost since individuals would rather not discuss it or keep such discussions at the society or policy level. However, action research and feminist action research still attempts to address these issues.
Photo by The British Institute of Cleaning Science
Dr. S. Steven Whitaker Ψ 