Collaborative Research in Organizations
Foundations for Learning, Change, and Theoretical Development
- Niclas Adler - Jönköping International Business School, Sweden, FENIX Centre for Innovations in Management, University at Albany, Albany
- A. B. (Rami) Shani - California Polytechnic State University and Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- Alexander Styhre - University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Collaborative Research in Organizations is organized in four sections. Part I, Framing the Challenge, provides grounding in the historical context, the emergent need, and the challenges of working in the borderland between academy and industry. Part II, Lenses and Mechanisms, presents a range of collaborative research approaches, concepts, frameworks, and mechanisms, positioning collaborative research as something other than one of many qualitative approaches. Part III, Illustrations, are intended to provide specific examples of collaborative research projects in a variety of companies and industries that show how collaborative research is realized. Part IV, Lessons, highlights the common denominators between the different studies, addresses some of the critiques of collaborative research, and identifies critical challenges for future inquiry.
"Adler, Shani, and Styhre, with contributions from many of the management researchers associated with the FENIX experiment, have documented the essence of collaborative research in organizations. The eighteen chapters in the book provide a window into the complexity of designing and managing collaborative research efforts in organizations . . . and present an approach that is worth reading about, reflecting upon, and exploring further. At Volvo Cars, this collaboration has been an added value to our practice."
"Through collaboration, we can deliver research outcomes not possible from solo or single team scholarship. . . . The experiments in collaborative research chronicled in this book are timely and important."
"This book responds in a timely manner to a most important subject area. The editors have a proven track record and are well recognized in their fields around the world. The cases exhibit broad coverage and the depth is quite impressive."