Using an Action Research Engagement Framework to Increase Readiness for Organizational Change

The Action Research Engagement (ARE) framework was developed in 2012 to assist graduate students in facilitating organizational leadership or change projects. Ten years later, the authors implemented a qualitative meta-evaluative study to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the framework based on a document review of 49 organizational change research studies that had purported to use the ARE framework. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 student researchers leading the studies. The results revealed that the framework was mostly or fully followed in all projects guiding organizations on how to initiate a change initiative, but that many projects suffered from weaknesses in stakeholder communication, engaging everyone in change goals, and maintaining sponsor active involvement through all phases of the project. All projects engaged stakeholders in inquiry activities but not necessarily using sequenced action research cycles. Follow-through to decisions and action by leaders was lacking in many projects. Student researchers identified two weaknesses in the original ARE framework: there was no clarity on how inquiry processes might engage larger numbers of stakeholders in the change goals, nor did the framework address how to facilitate decision-making or taking action toward future changes. Based on the study’s findings, an enhanced framework (ARE-2) is offered that makes greater deliberative use of action research principles and cycles of inquiry and reflection to deepen the inquiry process and consequently to strengthen stakeholder engagement, leadership commitment, and readiness for organizational change. The ARE-2 framework has practical application for guiding leaders on how to implement sustainable change in their organization.