A Conceptual Model for Action and Design Research

Organizational research has a pattern of special characteristics which make a clear distinction from other research paradigms. When using this kind of approaches - mainly those which are based on Action and Design - the Interpretivist, Constructivist, and Participatory perspectives dominate. They have already proven to have strong foundations - including ways of doing, data, and results - which turn these two paradigmatic approaches into effective ways for getting knowledge, doing things, and promoting change. The objective of the current article is to present a top-level conceptual model - under the form a tridimensional perspective - for Action and Design Research. It combines the traditional scientific, engineering, and organization development approaches depicting how an organization can, simultaneously, solve problems, produce actionable knowledge, change, and artifacts. It has been developed using a Design Science Research approach, tested in a major organizational change program, and successfully used to teach research methods essentials to Master and DBA students.