Middle-range theorising supporting and supported by action research: focusing on practitioner preparedness
Journal article, 2024

Increased demand for actionable knowledge in operations- and supply chain management has fuelled the interest in collaborative, action-oriented research design as well as modes of theorising that generate adaptable and actionable frameworks. Whilst action research (AR) design as well as middle-range theories (MRT) offer guiding principles herein, they are researcher centric in nature. It is taken for granted that practitioners that enter such an endeavour have a certain level of knowledge or experience prior to the initial stages of formalising the research problem. Practitioners in non-academic, operations management-intensive industries or craftsmanship-based industries, such as construction or carpeting (often in the SME range) are often neither prepared nor equipped with the principles necessary to convey their managerial challenges into collaborative research design. This risk limiting or even hindering altogether such participation. This paper elaborates on combining the logic of AR and MRT. By conceptualising a preparatory phase for initiating practitioner engagement, complementing the conventional AR cycle, a four-step approach is presented: (1) Identifying a joint interest; (2) Teaching – Awakening interest in the topic through MRT frameworks; (3) Accepting buy-in to the AR cycle and determining the problem; and (4) Proposing MRT frameworks for analysis and entering the traditional AR cycle.

Practioner preparedness

Engaged scholars

Action reserach

Middle-range theory

Theorizing

Author

Jenny Bäckstrand

Jönköping University

Anna Fredriksson

Linköping University

Arni Halldorsson

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

Production Planning and Control

0953-7287 (ISSN) 1366-5871 (eISSN)

Vol. In Press

Action Lab – a team learning methodology integrating generations of learners

VINNOVA (2021-04090), 2022-01-01 -- 2024-06-30.

Areas of Advance

Production

Subject Categories

Transport Systems and Logistics

Business Administration

Social Work

Other Civil Engineering

DOI

10.1080/09537287.2024.2327347

More information

Latest update

3/22/2024