Integral research and innovation: transforming enterprise and society

The core question underlying Integral Research and Innovation is: 'How can social research be turned into social or indeed "integral" innovation?' Complementing their acclaimed Transformation Management, this second book in the Transformation and Innovation Series explains how the knowledge creation that underpins transformative processes occurs. The authors show how research has to be transformative, rather than just informative if it is to contribute usefully to building integrated and sustainable enterprises. At a time when business practitioners and others responsible for organizational development are desperate for usable knowledge the authors contend that social science research is failing to support business and management generally. Instead, academic researchers engage in esoteric arguments about research methodology which do not contribute usefully to the resolution of real world problems. Drawing on their experience of environments where researchers and practitioners do engage constructively, resulting in research that is active, participative, and genuinely innovative, Professor Lessem and Dr Schieffer are in territory that is far beyond that covered by standard works on research methodology. This is a book not just for academics and researchers wanting to make a meaningful contribution, but also for reflective practitioners from the corporate organizational, and consultancy based worlds who operate in the area of interface between business and management, education, learning, and society, and who need to know how research can be used to make a real difference.

Towards a new research and university paradigm -- The four innovation paths of integral research -- The integral research trajectory -- Originating integral research -- From descriptive methods to phemenology -- From phenomenology to feminism -- From feminism to participatory action research -- From narrative methods to hermeneutics -- From hermeneutics to critical theory -- From critical theory to co-operative inquiry -- From methods of theorizing to critical rationalism -- From critical rationalism to postmodernism -- From postmodernism to socio-technical design -- From experimental and survey methods to empiricism -- From empiricism to critical realism -- From critical realism to action research -- Integral research and innovation

Towards a new research and university paradigm : introducing integral research and integral university : the four innovation paths of integral research -- The integral research trajectory -- Originating integral research : method matters! -- From descriptive methods to phenomenology : engage with your life world -- From phenomenology to feminism -- From feminism to participatory action research : liberate the oppressed -- From narrative methods to hermeneutics : fuse horizons -- From hermeneutics to critical theory : develop a dialectical argument