Research as an adventure
Doing Action Inquiry is like a mountain trekking full of adventures. You have an idea about the landscape and you have your fascinations and experiences. You have an idea where you are going. The question is: how does the landscape look like, what can I expect, do I have enough experience, what kind of equipment is needed, and who are my travelling companions.

Action Inquiry
Learning and developing new knowledge by collaboration in the midst of action. Research as an adventure is closely related to Action Inquiry as a method for analysing complex situations, playing with stability and creating a context for renewal in organizational life. Action Inquiry moves beyond the traditional academic values of objectivity and scientific purity. It is a method to understand the dynamics of organizational change and learning. Researchers interact with the research subjects in real life situations. Both generate actionable knowledge. Action Inquiry responds to the enormous pressures for change facing organizations today.

Action Research
"If you want to truly understand something, try to change it." This statement is from Kurt Lewin who started with action research as a comparative research method on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action. Action Research can be practical and it can serve as an instrument for action and change in organizations. Action research applies scientific methods to help organizations identifying problems, discover their underlying causes, and implement appropriate changes. It can also produce new knowledge about organizations and change that can be applied elsewhere.

Naturalistic Inquiry
Looking with an open mind, but not with an empty head. This sentence expresses the basic principle of Naturalistic Inquiry. The art of open-minded observation means postponing judgments, considering events from different points of view and not thinking in quick solutions. Observations are collected, findings are interpreted and new action perspectives are experimented with, together with the people concerned. Knowledge is inducted from open-minded observations en experiences and shared with all the people engaged.

Appreciative Inquiry
Searching for the positive power in organizations. In Appreciative Inquiry, it is not the problem perspective that is the central issue, but the quest for positive power in organizations. Appreciative Inquiry is a capacity building approach to transforming humans systems towards a shared image of their most positive potential by first discovering the very best in their shared experiences. As a form of research two questions are crucial: (1) What was already possible in this context (What is the best of what is?) and (2) How likely is it that it can be done even better in the future (What might be? What should be ideal?). As a form of action the most important question is: How can we contribute to sustainable change?
 

To develop an understanding and basic skills in:
- Action Inquiry as an inspiring research method in the midst of action
- Action Research as a method for changing and learning during a research process.
- Naturalistic Inquiry as a method to create engagement in a research process
- Appreciative Inquiry as a method to realize sustainable change and new knowledge
 

A syllabus with articles about action inquiry will be available in intranet. Participants are asked to up load own articles or references on the intranet as well, building a community of practice in action inquiry.

Next to the articles on internet, interesting literure is listed below:

Boonstra, J.J. (2004) Dynamics of Organisational Change and Learning. Chichester: Wiley.
Boonstra, J.J. & L.I.A. De Caluwé (2007) Intervening and Changing. Looking for meaning in interactions. Chichester: Wiley.
Cooperrider, D. & D. Whitney (2005) Appreciative Inquiry. A positive revolution in Change. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Cooperrider, D., D. Whitney & J. Stavros (2007) Appreciative Inquiry Handbook 2nd. Ed. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Eden, C. & C. Huxham (1996) Action research and the study of organizations. In: S.R. Clegg, C. Hardy & W.R. Nord (Eds.) Handbook of Organization Studies. London: Sage.
Erlandson, E. (1993) Doing Naturalistic Inquiry. A guide to the method. Sage: London
Glaser, B.G. & A.L. Strauss (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Strategies for qualitative research. Hawthorne, NY: De Gruyter
Lincoln, Y.A. & E.G. Guba (1985) Naturalistic Inquiry. London: Sage.
Patton, M.Q. (2002 ) Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Reason, P. & H. Bradbury (2001) Handbook of Action Research. Participative inquiry and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Torbert, B. (2004) Action Inquiry. The secret of timely and transforming leadership. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Strauss, A.C. & J. Corbin (1997) Grounded Theory in Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 

Interactive lecture
During the interactive Class researchers are invited to share their own research methodology with each other and compare this methodology with the principles of Action Inquiry. The participants will experiment with principles of Action Inquiry. Real life situations will be introduced and the participants will be asked to develop a research methodology for these situations based on Action Inquiry. The researchers wil be spying in organizations of other participants using naturalistic and appreciative inquiry as a research method and exchange observations in class.
 

The assessment will be based on:

- Creative elaboration of your personal meaning, being and engaging in research and sharing this personal branding with you research colleagues;
- Participation in class and dialogues in class about real action research situations and how to act like a action researcher in a contested terrain;
- Exploring environments by the method of naturalistic and apprteciative inquiry and exchanging observations in class;
- A written personals statement of yourself as a researcher in the academic and business world;
- A written strategic framework and action plan for doing action inquiry around an issue that is fascinating for you and a field that is attractive for you;
- An outline for an article in a scientific journal about action inquiry.
 

"It is my professional purpose to share knowledge and experiences in leadership and in organizational change and learning to make other people successful as leaders and change managers. As professor, director and consultant, I am engaged in the future of youngsters and in humanity in neighbourhoods and schools. I feel committed to action learning of leaders, managers and professionals who really want to make a difference. My professional contribution focuses on excellent service in health care and youth care and I am pleased to play a significant role in the proud and strength of the creative and production industry in Europe. It gives me energy when I contribute to the proud of people in their work and to organizational and societal renewal".

Jaap Boonstra (1957) is professor ‘Organizational Change and Learning’ at the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and at Esade Business School in Barcelona (Spain). He is the Dean Sioo, the National Inter-university Center for Organizational Change and Learning in The Netherlands. He is a member of the board of governors for a wholesale organization and a youth care institute, and a member of the advisory board of the Dutch Immigration Services and the Dutch Academy of Governmental Communication. As a consultant he is involved in change processes in organizational networks in the Netherlands, Spain and South Africa. At Esade Business School he is involved in courses for Master students, Phd research programmes and in Executive education.

As a researcher he conducted research into the social, technological and organizational aspects of innovation, sustainable development and change of organizations and strategic decision making. His research focuses on transformational leadership, barriers to organizational change and innovation, power dynamics in organizational change, and sustainable development of organizations.

Jaap published more than two hundred articles on technological and organizational innovation, management of organizational change, organizational learning, politics in organizations, strategic decision making and transformational change in the service sector and public administration. His international handbook “Dynamics of Organizational Change and learning” is awarded as the best contribution to organizational science by the Dutch association of management consultants. His most recent book “Intervening and Changing. Looking for meaning in interactions” is considered as the first comprehensive guide to offer successful new ways for organizations to apply global thinking and democratic values to achieve innovations. This moment he is working on a new publication on Culture and Leadership, which will be published in 2010.
 

Monday 22/02/10
From 15:00 h. to 18:00 h.
Tuesday 23/02/10
From 15:00 h. to 18:00 h.
Wednesday 24/02/10
From 15:00 h. to 18:00 h.
Thursday 25/02/10
From 15:00 h. to 18:00 h.
Monday 15/03/10
From 09:00 h. to 12:00 h.
Tuesday 16/03/10
From 09:00 h. to 12:00 h.
Wednesday 17/03/10
From 09:00 h. to 12:00 h.
Thursday 18/03/10
From 09:00 h. to 12:00 h.