The Leader as Action Researcher

In the past seven month, many reflections and actions have characterized my work as head of social education at UC Zealand (UCZ).

First of all, I have crossed boundaries from on UC to another reflecting on all the differences in two organizations with the same overall agenda. One of the first things which stroke me was that all the campuses at UCZ are of extremely high standard: auditoriums, classrooms, group-rooms, teacher offices, access to technology for students and lecturers, library, canteens, and beautiful surroundings. It is of high importance if you shall study, work and learn. Secondly, UCZ offers all the employees a wonderful and very cheap lunch and it is extremely flexible so you get your lunch at any of the nine campuses. It is an important good which means that the employees meet on campus lunching together.

In the spring 2012, the organization changed radically moving from a focus on campuses to a focus on educations. It led to the creation of a team of head of education. I have been part of this team for ten month – and we still wait for the last team-members. 

It is of course a comprehensive task to change an organization with all its structures, processes and traditions. Sometimes it is a demanding task for an impatient soul.   

I have also crossed boundaries as far as I have moved from Research and Development (RD) to another educational perspective where safe operations, student learning and satisfaction are in focus. I have reflected on many differences within the two domains. In RD, all researchers and consultants were dedicated to their work as well as to the brand of the organization. In a program as Social Education, the lectures are primarily dedicated to the program and their own subject. In RD, it was extremely rare that someone was ill. Last year, in the program of Social Education, more than nine FTE were used to cover ill lecturers.

One of the main differences is that the processes in RD are more open, easier to communicate and explain. In RD, you have to work under extremely stressful conditions however you often get recognized for your work – and you often have to collaborate with other people to achieve your goals.

My doctoral studies have to some extend been neglected. I have however decided to work with three cases from my work as head of social education. I have done the first draft of my purposal and I have read and reflected on the leader as action researcher - and I have decided to use four different theoretical perspectives. According to Amin and Thrift, (2005, p. 222)

"No particular theoretical approach, even in combination with others, can be used to gain a total grip on what's going on. Theory-making is a hybrid assemblage of testable propostions and probable explanations derived from sensings of the world, the world's persistent ways of talking back, and the effort of abstraction" 

Amin, A. and Thrift, N. (2005). What's left? Just the future. Antipode, 37, pp.220-38.