Action Research should be an iterative process that takes shape as knowledge emerges. The premise here is that you learn, do, reflect, know how to do better, do it better, learn from that, do it better still, and so on. You work through cycles that converge towards better situation understanding and improved action. The goal is to refine methods, data, and interpretation continuously and to understand deeper the learning developed in the cycles. It is our way of testing and accelerating product/service entry.
One of the leaders of the idea of Action Research is Richard D. Sagor, who has helped form much of my initial understanding of the subject matter. In his book, The Action Research Guidebook, explains:
Action research is a small idea. It involves examining data on one’s work to help improve one’s performance. Although there isn’t a consensus on a single set of processes or steps that constitute action research, as presented here, action research is a straightforward four-stage process.
Anyone who has worked in an organization knows that performance is rarely perfect. Most of the time, you can find ways to perform better. But what if you didn’t know where to look? What if your research was so limited that you had no idea how to improve? That’s the case with most organizations and many individuals. That’s why small ideas are so valuable. They allow us to step into a new world and examine data we may not otherwise have access to. Most people have never heard of small ideas, but they are extremely common. Most organizations include them in their employee engagement programs, performance management initiatives, and leadership development programs.
There are 4 Stages of The Action Research Process:
- Clarifying Vision and Targets: What do you want to accomplish?
- Articulating Theory: What approach do I believe has the greatest potential for helping us to realize our goal(s)?
- Implementing Action and Collecting Data: What data/information will we need to collect if we want to understand the effectiveness of our theory of action?
- Reflecting on Data and Planning Informed Action: Based on this data/information, how should we adjust our future actions?
The 4 Stages Expanded:
- Clarifying Vision and Targets: What do you want to accomplish?
Most organizations include small ideas as part of their performance management initiatives. These small ideas should be a part of any performance management program. They are designed to provide employees with specific, measurable activities that they can take on to improve their performance and the organization’s performance. The first step is clarifying your vision and targets. This is often done through an employee engagement plan or vision statement for your company. In essence, the vision statement is the overarching goal your company wants to achieve over a year or so. Next, you need to identify specific targets to help you reach this goal and make it measurable. So what can you do? You could participate in a small idea by going through your current goals and identifying those that will help you reach your vision statement over the next 12 months. Then, create measurable activities around those goals that will help you improve your performance in relation to these goals and objectives.
- Articulating Theory: What approach do I believe has the greatest potential for helping us to realize our goal(s)?
This is a very important question. It has a huge impact on the success of your project and helps you to stay the course. You may need to make some changes once you have answered this question, but it will help you get back on track when you get stuck. It is important to articulate your theory before diving into action research. There are many different ways we can articulate our theory, and in this example, I will provide an outline of what I followed. I believe that people at work who play their role as well as possible, create a better work environment for everyone else. When people are given the opportunity to do their job properly, they perform well and create a positive culture for the company.
- Implementing Action and Collecting Data: What data/information will we need to collect if we want to understand the effectiveness of our theory of action?
You will need to know what data you want to implement action and collect data. So, ask yourself what it is that you want to learn about. For example, say you are trying to improve your performance in a meeting with important clients. You may find out what behaviors lead to positive outcomes in those meetings or how effective your communication style is. You should also ask yourself the following questions: – What specific behaviors will we want to change? – How will we track those behaviors? – What is the timeline for changing them?
- Reflecting on Data and Planning Informed Action: Based on this data/information, how should we adjust our future actions?
The importance of action research is that it allows individuals to step into a new world and examine data they may not otherwise have access to. One of the benefits of action research is that it enables business leaders to gather information on what their employees are doing to adjust their future actions. Action research allows them to discover insights and make adjustments where necessary. In this way, it becomes an important part of employee engagement, performance management initiatives, and leadership development programs.
Conclusion
Sagor says the steps are not as important as the idea of their practice or the action taking place. The idea of small ideas is not to do something different. What is most important is the process, or rather the act of doing something. It’s been said that “small ideas can be the seeds for big ones.” This is true because if you have data about your performance and small ideas are used to examine this data, it can lead to great insights on improving your work or business as a whole. A good example of this would be using a systematic research method like action research to help individuals grow their careers.