Creating Change: Jean Bartunek on Research to Practice
The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (JAB) has released its June 2012 Special Issue: Studying Change Dynamics Using Qualitative Methods.
Organizational change expert Jean Bartunek, the Robert A. and Evelyn J. Ferris Chair and Professor in the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, contributed her thoughts on how the research in this issue can help practitioners create change in the world. Click here to view the Table of Contents.
Dr. Bartunek wrote in her commentary, “How Qualitative Research on Change Can Contribute to Changing Practice”:
A benefit of qualitative research as opposed to quantitative research is that it focuses on local perceptions and experiences of phenomena of interest. In particular, it explicates “the ways people in particular settings come to understand, account for, take action, and otherwise manage their day to day situations” (Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 7). Qualitative research also enables researchers to gain understanding and appreciation of the dynamics associated with these phenomena (Bartunek & Seo, 2002, p. 238).
By accomplishing these aims, qualitative research may be particularly helpful in suggesting implications for practice. Addressing the relevance of research to practice is particularly important in JABS, which is designed as a bridging journal between scholarly research and multiple sets of scholarly practitioners, such as consultants, human resources practitioners, and policymakers.
Read the complete commentary here. To learn more about the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, please follow this link.
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