Recently, three noted scholars in the field of organizational development and action research, Edgar Schein, Peter Senge, and Chris Argyris, decided to collaborate on research at the newly formed Center for Organizational Learning at MIT. This article presents an analysis of factors impeding this collaboration, drawing from the literature and from the author's experiences as a researcher at the center. The article compares the three strategies for intervention research, and explores the theories of organizational effectiveness implied by each. Core challenges for each approach are identified, followed by theoretical and temperamental factors that may contribute to the persistence of separate approaches. Finally, options for collaborative research are reviewed, along with a recommendation for an integrative approach.
ARGYRIS, C.Interpersonal competence and organizational effectiveness. New York: Irwin, 1962.
2.
ARGYRIS, C.Inner contradictions of rigorous researchNew York: Academic Press, 1980.
3.
ARGYRIS, C. Action Science and Interwntion. Unpublished paper, Harvard University, 1982. (a)
4.
ARGYRIS, C.Reasoning learning and action: Individual and organizationalSan Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1982. (b)
5.
ARGYRIS, C.Making knowledge more relevant to practice: Maps for action. In E. E. Lawler III et al. (Eds.), Doing research that is useful for theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985, pp. 79-106.
6.
ARGYRIS, C.Seeking Truth and Actionable Knowledge: How the Scientific Method Inhibits Both. Walter V. Clarke Memorial Lecture, November 1986.
7.
ARGYRIS, C.Crafting a theory of practice: The case of organizational paradoxes. In R. Quinn and K. Cameron (Eds.), Paradox and transformation. Cambridge: Ballinger Publishing Co., 1988, pp. 255-278.
8.
ARGYRIS, C.Knowledge for action: Changing the status quo. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
9.
ARGYRIS, C., & SCHON, D.Theory in practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1974.
10.
BENNIS, W.Changing organizations. New York: McGraw Hill, 1966.
11.
BICE, M. O.The transformation of Lutheran Health Systems. In R. H. Kilmann, T. J. Covin, et al. (Eds.), Corporate transformation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1988, pp. 435-450.
12.
BLAKE, R., & MOUTON, J.Comparing strategies for incremental and transformational change. In R. Kilman and T. Covin (Eds.), Corporate transformation. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass, 1988.
13.
DRIVER, M. J.Response and commentary. In E. E. Lawler III et al. (Eds.), Doing research that is useful for theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985, pp. 107-114.
14.
FORRESTER, J. W.Industrial dynamics. Cambridge: Productivity Press, 1961.
15.
FORRESTER, J. W.Counterintuitive behavior of social systems. Technology Review, 1971, 73, January.
16.
HAYES, R. H., WHEELWRIGHT, S. C., & CLARK, K. B.Dynamic manufacturing: Creating the learning organization. London: The Free Press, 1988.
17.
JONES, A. M., & HENDRY, C.The Learning Organization: A Review of Literature and Practice. The HRD Partnership, University of Warwick, 1992.
18.
KAPLAN, R. E., The conspicuous absence of evidence that process consultation enhances task performance. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1979, 15, 346-360.
19.
KEOUGH, M., & DOMAN. A.The CEO as organization designer: An interview with Professor Jay W. Forrester, the founder of system dynamics. The McKinsey Quarterly, 1992.
20.
LEWIN, KField theory in social science. New York: Harper Collins, 1951.
21.
LICHTENSTEIN, B. Interview with Peter Senge. 11/23/92 transcript, edited by Senge, 1992.
22.
LIKERT, R.New patterns of management. New York: McGraw Hill, 1961.
23.
MARTIN, R.Changing the mind of the corporation. Harvard Business Review, 1993, November-December.
24.
McGREGOR, D.The human side of the enterprise. New York: McGraw Hill, 1960.
25.
PERROW, C.Complex organizations: A critical essay (3rd ed.). New York: Random Hall, 1986.
26.
PFEFFER, J.Managing with a power: Politics and influence in organizations. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1992.
27.
POOLE, P., GIOIA, D., & GRAY, B.Influence modes, schema change, and organizational transformation. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1989, 25, 271-290.
28.
RENZ, D. O.The transformation of a public sector bureaucracy. In R. H. Kilmann, T. J. Covin, et al. (Eds.), Corporate Transformation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1988, pp. 470-498.
29.
SCHEIN, E. H.Process consultation. Volume I: Its role in organization development (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1988.
30.
SCHEIN, E. H.Innovative cultures and adaptive organizations. In Sri Lanka Journal of Development Administration, 1990, 7, 9-39.
31.
SCHEIN, E. H.Legitimating Clinical Research in the Study of Organizational Culture. MIT Working paper #3288-91-BPS, 1991.
32.
SCHEIN, E. H.How can organizations learn faster: The problem of entering the green room. Invited address to the World Economic Forum, February 6, 1992.
33.
SCHEIN, E. H.Organizational culture and leadership (revised ed.), 1993.
34.
SCHEIN, E. H., & BENNIS, W.Personal and organizational change through group methods. New York: Wiley, 1965.
35.
SENGE, P.The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday, 1990. (a)
36.
SENGE, P.Catalyzing systems thinking within organizations. In F. Masarik (Ed.), Advances in organization development. Ablec Publishing, 1990, pp.197-246. (b)
37.
SENGE, P.Interactions of Service Quality and Service Capacity: A Theoretical Framework for Empirical Research. Working paper, MIT Organization Learning Center, 1992.
38.
SIMON, H.Administrative behavior (2nd ed.). New York: Free Press, 1976.
39.
SMITH, D. M.Action Design Associates Brochure. Weston, MA, 1993.
40.
STERMAN, J. D.Modeling managerial behavior: Misperceptions of feedback in dynamic decision-making. Management Science, 1989, 35/3, 321-339.
41.
WALTON, R. E.Strategies with dual relevance. In E. E. Lawler III et al. (Eds.), Doing research that is useful for theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985, pp. 176-203.
42.
WATKINS, K. E., & MARSICK, V. J.Sculpting the learning organization: Lessons in the art and science of systemic change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
