Concepts and Transformation - Volume 3, Issue 1-2, 1998

Some of the major aspects of engaging in action research are presented. The triadic relationships of action research as a basic and fundamental characteristic, ranging from the very abstract to the very concrete, are discussed. In action research one experiences, on and off, all the modalities of daily reality. The dialogical, linguistic, ethical and psychodynamic features of action research are emphasized, as well as its unfolding and often unpredictable nature. The role of the researcher unfolds in the context of joint action and becomes gradually articulated through (a) experience, (b) the content of one's 'toolkit', and (c) appropriate timing.

This paper discusses a conversation between six Swedish women who participated in a transnational exchange that formed part of a project in the framework of the EU's Leonardo Da Vinci Program, the aim of which is formulated as: "To develop tools for competence enhancement for organizations active in the field of social insurance ". The project sought to link organizations that are active in the field of social insurance, both in the private and the public sector, from Sweden, Belgium, Ireland and Northern Ireland.The joint 'learning ' that took place as a result of the transnational exchange is illustrated in the first part of this paper with fragments of conversations and recorded episodes, all of which are part of a narrative on cross-cultural personal encounters.The paper reflects on the transnational experience, in the light of the intertwined notions of learning, language and cultural embeddedness. In the second part, the paper discusses the significance of interaction, encounter, mutuality, contrast, and surprise, and further will allude to the relationship between competence and organization.

A well-founded strategy is no longer sufficient for a business. Experience has taught us that it is usually not implemented, even though that is why it was formulated in the first place. We believe that the complex problems that confront business and government demand a different approach to strategy development: one that guarantees that the organization will actually change. We have developed the concept of Strategic Management from Below, and since 1990 we have been gaining experience with its use in business and government. Since that time, the concept has developed into a participative approach that enables an integral transformation to be realized within a very short period of time. The Strategic Dialogue in cross-sections of the organization forms the centerpiece of the concept. This article discusses the application of our approach to the creation of the long-term strategy for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. How have the principles of the concept of Strategic Management from Below, and the Strategic Dialogue in particular, contributed to a successful, rapid transformation under extremely turbulent conditions?

These notes are offered as a contribution towards creating a 'dialogically-structured' form of action research (Toulmin and Gustavsen 1996). What I do want to do in these notes is to show how Wittgenstein's (1953, 1980) claims — that (i) "nothing is hidden" from us in our conduct of our own practices, and that (ii) "the origin and primitive form of the language-game is a reaction " — and the methods of philosophical investigation he outlined, can be used to great effect to make us more aware of our own rules in structuring our own everyday affairs. His methods work, not in terms of theories worked out ahead of time in seminar rooms or research laboratories by experts, but in terms of certain practical uses of language 'on the spot': they lead those involved in the practice to attend to what usually passes them by unnoticed, to attend, we might say, to what is in fact visible but usually unremarked on explicitly. Crucially, his 'reminders ' can lead us to focus on novelties, on new but previously unnoticed possibilities for 'going on' available to us in our present circumstances, but present to us only in fleeting moments. If we can allow ourselves to be 'struck' by these novelties, then we can often go on, not to solve what has been seen as a problem, but to develop new ways forward in which the old problems become irrelevant. Thus their main point is the institution within our already existing work practices of a new (dialogical) practice leading to our own increased awareness or mindfulness of the details of these practices. The material in these notes can, I hope, be viewed as a useful set of tools, or 'ways of talking' — Wittgenstein would call them reminders — that work to draw our attention to aspects of our already existing practices that it is important for us to notice.

By studying the practice of science, the domain called "science studies" had a deep implication on the definition of politics; it is for this reason that the author was asked to portray what image of politics one could get from a science studies perspective; since the traditional difference between left and right depends on the choice of the frame of reference chosen, this paper is also an attempt at redefining left from right without, as it is customary, identifying left with forms of scientism; it is thus an attempt at finding a movement forward not associated with the notion of progress.

In 1997 the law governing higher education and research in Sweden added a third task to the work to be done by the Swedish Universities: they were now no longer expected just to educate and to do research but also to relate to and collaborate with their local environment. The present article argues that this third task implies a new form of knowledge, viz., knowledge generated in interactive cooperation with practitioners. The change in the law has encountered resistance from the research establishment. However, there are good reasons for the universities to change from a position of noble seclusion towards continuous interaction with their environment. Three arguments are proposed that articulate the need to actively involve the world of practice in the research process. The National Institute for Working Life received an assignment from the government to promote the implementation of the universities ' third task. A program was started by approaching and involving primarily the 20 university colleges in networking and development activities. It seems that action-oriented, practice-based research can more easily find a foothold in these institutions. It cannot be denied that the third task has started to put new, challenging demands on the typical academic role.

Contemporary argumentation theory is the most appropriate logical basis of qualitative inquiry. Formal logics, deductive or inductive, have turned out to have little value in some particular practical situations and local contexts. An optimal observance of the cooperative principle and the charity principle in argumentation theory may not only be merely methodologically motivated, it may also have an ethical motivation. This ethical motivation may have a methodological significance and may be supported by a philosophy of life.