caa a22 4500 605520100 CHVBK 20210128100733.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11213-014-9316-1 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11213-014-9316-1 Pragmatic Dilemmas in Action Research: Doing Action Research With or Without the Approval of Top Management? [Elektronische Daten] [Stefan Holgersson, Ulf Melin] This article problematizes a basic assumption that action research should be conducted in terms of acceptance by management. The importance of approval from the responsible stakeholders at the work practice, which is the subject of action research, has traditionally been emphasized in action research literature. External pressure can constrain an organisation to initiate and fulfil different types of needs for change. In this article we address the question of whether it is appropriate to accomplish action research in a way that creates pressure on an organisation to act. If the public risks suffering as a result of an organisation′s inability or unwillingness to identify and rectify serious problems, there are strong arguments to answer "yes” to this question. This answer is particularly relevant when it comes to governmental organisations. The public has a legitimate requirement that tax-financed organisations should be well-functioning. This article illustrates how action research can put pressure on a work practice, and discusses the problems and challenges of this type of research design. An important contribution to action research literature based on this article is that it shows that the dilemma in action research of balancing practice interests and those of science is not just about dealing with a dual agenda. The interest of the practice interests is multi-faceted. This article points at the relationship between action research and principles for conducting critical research in information systems. Practical implications that can be drawn based on this article are for example that it clarifies the challenge of different considerations that may be eligible in action research. Springer Science+Business Media New York, 2014 Action research nationallicence Ethics and politics nationallicence Work practice nationallicence Organisational change nationallicence Information systems nationallicence Pragmatism nationallicence Holgersson Stefan Department of Management and Engineering, Information Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden aut Melin Ulf Department of Management and Engineering, Information Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden aut Systemic Practice and Action Research Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 28/1(2015-02-01), 1-17 1094-429X 28:1<1 2015 28 11213 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-014-9316-1 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-014-9316-1 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Holgersson Stefan Department of Management and Engineering, Information Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Melin Ulf Department of Management and Engineering, Information Systems, Linköping University, SE-581 83, Linköping, Sweden aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Systemic Practice and Action Research Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 28/1(2015-02-01), 1-17 1094-429X 28:1<1 2015 28 11213