Revisiting Action Research: Leveraging Paradox for Responsible Theoretical and Practical Impacts

As calls for research with practical impact intensify, Action Research (AR) promises to combine scholarly inquiry and organizational change. Yet it faces two key criticisms: limited theoretical generalizability and overly optimistic assumptions about its effects. Drawing on a multi-year AR project, we argue that AR’s deep engagement with organizational life surfaces paradoxes—persistent, interrelated tensions central to organizing. These paradoxes offer a double-edged potential: they can yield rich, theory-extending insights or, if mismanaged, produce harmful consequences. We propose a paradox-aware approach to AR, positioning paradox management as a critical methodological practice for generating responsible impact and advancing theoretically meaningful contributions.