Action research in graduate management research programs

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how action research may be applied to graduate management research programs. After distinguishing action research from traditional research and establishing that the former is more appropriate for developing managerial competencies than the latter, the paper discusses issues of conducting action research within a graduate management research program. These issues centre on the key concept of distinguishing between action research project and a thesis action research project. Distinctions between action research projects at Masters and PhD levels are noted. It is argued that ideally the core action research project has to be part of the PhD candidate's full-time work. Future difficulties are canvassed.