Creating Interpretive Space for Engaged Scholarship

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to argue that the approach of engaged scholarship provides interpretive space for practitioners who are introducing change in their organization. In this case, the change involved implementation of process innovations, which continue to be an important challenge for business and public sector bodies. The research domain was a subsidiary of APC by Schneider Electric located in Ireland and involved a two-year study where the principal researcher had the status of a temporary employee. A new form of Action Research (AR) called dialogical AR was tested in this study. Key finding from an analysis of the interviews showed that the approach was both helpful and stimulating for the practitioner.