Towards the Use of Action Research to Promote Sustainability

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss how action research might be utilized to enhance sustainability in organizational settings. While it has been argued that active engagement by researchers in implementing organizational change risks organizational capture, action research is a methodology that may be able to withstand organizational pressures, thus allowing researchers to implement sustainability practices from within organizations. The article summarizes the history and principles of action research. In addition, The Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR) is discussed as a case study of action research which seeks to further the goals of sustainability through its efforts on a worldwide basis.