Doing Research Upside Down: Action and Research in Cross Self-Confrontations

Abstract

This paper highlights three main points. Firstly, it argues that despite the positioning of mainstream psychology as “objective research” i.e. disengaged from taking action in public life, there has always been in psychology a (quantitatively) minor but (qualitatively) strong tradition of intervention, defined as a joint practice engaging researchers and practitioners in social transformation. It shows how this alternative way of doing research affects all dimensions of the researchers’ professional practice, for better or for worse. Secondly, it presents a specific perspective on intervention, created in France and used in multiple work settings in the last twenty years, called Clinic of Activity. It then introduces and discusses a methodology designed to support development at work through collaborative work analysis and structured dialogue, the Cross Self Confrontations. Thirdly, it reports on a research in Cross Self-Confrontations recently conducted in a Swiss factory, and shows how this methodology supports the co-creation of knowledge and the development of dialogue within a group of workers and across the hierachical lines, therefore contributing to the deep discussion and transformation of work practices.