Workplace innovation in ‘low-skilled’ sectors: a German case-study of action research

This article describes the methodological outcomes of an action research project conducted with the ethnically diverse and (purportedly) ‘low-skilled’ workforce of a German medium-sized company in early 2021. Perspectives and challenges for workplace development were investigated by engaging the staff members in a novel process of Critical Utopian Action Research, a Nordic research method based on principles of emancipation and democratic engagement (Egmose et al., 2020). Setting aside the original focus of the study on diversity management and inclusion practises, this paper specifically explores the nuances of implementing such a research method through the lens of ‘workplace innovation’. Theoretically, in dialogue with the specific composition of identities in the case-study and the EU policy context of innovation, the article derives two original concepts of worker collectivism and worker autonomy from the meeting point of social- and workplace-innovation literatures. The closing discussion addresses the need for methodological adaptations for (critical utopian) action research to small-sized research projects, aiming to increase research quality. The study concludes by emphasising the potential of action research to promote a socially-driven and participatory approach to workplace innovation, whilst acknowledging the need for more workplace innovation projects for and with both low-skilled and ethnically diverse workforces.