Chapter 13: The Transformative Approach⁰⁰¹

Recent polemics on both sides of the Atlantic attest to the contentiously political nature of management research (cf. Grey, 2001; O’Connor, 1999; Pettigrew, 2001; Pfeffer, 1993, 1995; Starkey & Madan, 2001; Tranfield & Starkey, 1998; Van Maanen, 1995a,b; Weick, 2001). Management theoreticians as well as funding agents, practitioners and consultants are increasingly debating the usefulness and validity of management knowledge (Powell, 1997). While each of these groups may have quite different perspectives and biases, despite the polemic nature of the exchange one needs to accept that various stakeholders claim to possess management knowledge (Abrahamson, 1996; Antunes, 2002).

This chapter emphasizes a transformative approach to management knowledge, which is a methodology intended to improve the linkage across key stakeholders of the field. This methodology is proposed as an alternative to the most commonly used approaches in management studies, namely, positivist and interpretive approaches. The transformative approach is particularly suitable for connecting management consulting and research because this approach attempts to integrate action and reflection, personal and organizational realities, and theory and practice.