Action Research Cycle

Purpose

Action Research, pioneered by Kurt Lewin and developed by practitioners like Chris Argyris and Peter Reason, integrates research and practice. Instead of studying the organization from the outside and delivering recommendations, Action Research involves the people in the system as co-researchers who diagnose, design, act, observe, and reflect in iterative cycles. The method produces both practical improvement and generalizable knowledge.

At a glance

How to run

1. Diagnose (15 min). Collaboratively assess the current situation. What is the problem or opportunity? What data do we have? What do we observe? What are our assumptions?
2. Plan (15 min). Design an intervention or experiment based on the diagnosis. What will we change? What do we expect to happen? How will we observe the effects?
3. Act (between cycles). Implement the planned action in the real work context. This is not a simulation — it is real change in real time.
4. Observe (10 min). Collect data on what happened. What changed? What did not change? What surprised us? What unintended consequences emerged?
5. Reflect (20 min). What did we learn? What assumptions were confirmed or challenged? What would we do differently? How has our understanding of the problem evolved? What is the next cycle's diagnosis?

Materials needed

• Diagnosis template (current state, data, assumptions)
• Action plan template (intervention, expected outcome, observation method)
• Observation/data collection tools
• Reflection guide
• Cycle tracking board

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Acting without diagnosing. The action must be informed by genuine inquiry, not jumping to solutions.
• Observing without reflecting. Data without reflection is just information. The reflection phase is where learning happens.
• One cycle only. Action Research is iterative. One cycle is a pilot; sustained cycles produce transformation.
• Researcher/practitioner split. In Action Research, the practitioners ARE the researchers. External consultants facilitate, not dictate.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Action Research is inherently participatory — those affected by the issue are co-researchers.
• Include diverse perspectives in diagnosis to avoid blind spots.
• Make data collection accessible — not everyone can keep research journals. Offer multiple input methods.
• Share findings transparently with all participants.

Variations

• Participatory Action Research (PAR): Emphasizes community ownership and social justice.
• Appreciative Action Research: Combines AR cycles with Appreciative Inquiry's strengths-based lens.
• Design-based Action Research: Focuses on designing and testing artifacts (tools, processes, curricula).

When NOT to use this

• When the organization wants a quick fix, not an ongoing learning process.
• When there is no willingness to let practitioners co-own the research.
• When the political environment makes genuine inquiry unsafe.

Source & further reading

• Lewin, K. (1946). "Action Research and Minority Problems." *Journal of Social Issues*, 2(4).
• Reason, P. & Bradbury, H. (Eds.) (2008). *The SAGE Handbook of Action Research*. 2nd ed. Sage.
• Coghlan, D. & Brannick, T. (2014). *Doing Action Research in Your Own Organization*. 4th ed. Sage.