Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Introduction
Derry Habir
Actions
Mismatch
Single-Loop Learning
Double-Loop Learning
Chris Argyris, Overcoming Organizational Defenses, Boston: Allyn & Bacon (1990)
IS CALLED
ACTION INQUIRY, or ACTION LEARNING, or ACTION RESEARCH, or Participatory Action Research
Actions
Mismatch
Single-Loop Learning
Double-Loop Learning
Chris Argyris, Overcoming Organizational Defenses, Boston: Allyn & Bacon (1990)
Action Inquiry is based on these assumptions: Speaking is the secret of conscious social life. TALK is the essence of action.
IMPROVING:
Communication about lack of alignment of individual, group, and organizational objectives/actions, or about lack of validity/clarity of assumptions.
FRAMING
ILLUSTRATING
ADVOCATING
INQUIRING
ADVOCATING
ILLUSTRATING
Telling more concrete story that puts the meat on the bones of advocacy, thereby orients and motivates others more clearly. Involves asking others in order to learn something from them.
. . Just like Jane did when she took orders from them yesterday.
What do you think? How soon you can do it? Could you ask Jane how to get it?
INQUIRING
William Torbert & Dalmar Fisher, Personal and Organizational Transformation, New York: MacGraw-Hill (1995)
ADVOCATING
ILLUSTRATING
Telling more concrete story that puts the meat on the bones of advocacy, thereby orients and motivates others more clearly. Involves asking others in order to learn something from them.
. . After all, you asked our driver to do it when I was on leave . . . . Why do you think I should be the one to do this? Perhaps you dont know I have a important deadline to meet?
INQUIRING
William Torbert & Dalmar Fisher, Personal and Organizational Transformation, New York: MacGraw-Hill (1995)
By changing to the DYNAMIC PROCESS (of talk), then Action Inquiry becomes a RISKY business:
By inviting ourselves to engage with others and asking TRUE RESPONSES might disturb our comfort zones (assumptions, belief)
A.I. enhances both the actors and organizations efficiency, effectiveness, and legitimacy, by
Weaving together action and inquiry. Making explicit and testing the appropriateness of strategies, purposes, and outcomes. Testing and potentially redefining assumptions, values, belief, inferences, visions. Developing a better shared purposes. Strengthening visibility of the process.
LEVELS of INQUIRY
INDIVIDUALS / PERSONAL GROUPS INTER-GROUPS ORGANIZATIONAL INTER-ORGANIZATIONS SOCIETAL
AMBIGUOUS FOR UNTRAINED PEOPLE NEEDS HIGH FACILITATION SKILLS TIME CONSUMING
PANDORA BOX EFFECTS