Action Research Applied in Online Management Education

This case describes an action research project conducted by a team of management educators in a wholly online environment in an MBA class. The core research was for a PhD thesis, and there were several related publications also coming out of the research. The case describes the research process, provides some foundational ideas and literature about action research, and presents some of the essential findings related to the methodology in this case. It describes a unique connection between action research method and the design and structure of emergent processes along with the final structure of the published research. The generative features of action research are also explained with reference to a range of published outcomes in connection with the main project. The case highlights how action research may be one of the most relevant approaches for gaining rich and deep insights into management practice and helping to develop appropriate theory. At a time when the discipline of management and management education needs to increase its relevance and engagement, this case provides some applied insights that may assist the reader to adopt similar approaches in their own practice.