The contribution of action research to actionable knowledge in the field of management

Abstract

A key strength of action research is producing actionable knowledge that is relevant for addressing complex issues, including the grand challenges of our time, but this production is hindered by the underdevelopment of specific quality criteria for assessing such knowledge. This paper aims to contribute to the advancement of actionable knowledge in the field of management by reviewing the knowledge contribution of action research and clarifying the various criteria scholars use to assess the quality of this contribution. In a semi‐systematic literature review, we studied 320 empirical action research papers in leading management journals between 2005 and 2023. We found that action research contributes to actionable knowledge about organizational processes, organizational change, and the role of experiences and context in organizational learning. We show that scholars mainly use the criteria of reflexivity, validity, relevance, and usefulness to assess the quality of action research. Taking into account the emancipatory, participatory, and scholarly character of action research, we further develop these criteria by elaborating on reflexivity in interactions with participants, the validity of knowledge for participants, the relevance of integrating academic and practitioner knowledge, and the symbolic, conceptual, and instrumental dimensions of usefulness.