Renewing Research Practice

by Ralph E. Stablein (Editor), Peter J. Frost (Editor)

Overview

In Renewing Research Practice prominent scholars in organization studies share their experiences in overcoming research obstacles, working with collaborators, and balancing professional and personal life demands. This book, driven by the scholars' stories of triumph and frustration, will help others in similar situations find their way to successful research renewal.

The book is organized around a series of chapters and commentaries that invites the reader to interact with the ideas presented. Interspersed between the chapters, the volume editors discuss broader issues important to the development of a successful research practice—the nature of the scholarly community, ethics, the changing terrain of organization studies, the intoxication of the research journey, rethinking the notion of discipline, and a reflection on the American-centrism of management research. Of special interest to scholars and researchers in organization studies, this book will assist all social scientists, at whatever stage of the research journey they are in.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804746779
Publisher:	Stanford University Press
Publication date:	07/15/2004
Series:	Stanford Business Books (Paperback)
Edition description:	1
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ralph E. Stablein is Professor of Management at Massey University. Peter J. Frost is the Kaiser Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. They previously coedited a volume on the research process, Doing Exemplary Research.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xi
	New Beginnings	1
1.	One Scholar's Garden: A Narrative of Renewal	5
	Commentaries on Chapter 1
	The Stuff in Jane Dutton's Garden	18
	Preparing to Be a Gardener: Renewal in Transition	23
	The Community of Scholars	25
2.	Swimming Against the Tide: Aligning Values and Work	29
	Commentaries on Chapter 2
	Parallel Lives: Living the Drama of Tempered Radicalism	54
	Clarity and Alignment: An Experiential Reflection on Values and Work	60
	Ethics in Research: It's Not About the Paperwork!	63
3.	Puddle Jumping as a Career Strategy	67
	Commentaries on Chapter 3
	Comments on "Puddle Jumping as a Career Strategy"	83
	Puddles, Principles, and Passion	90
	Institutional Terrain	93
4.	A Renaissance Self: Prompting Personal and Professional Revitalization	97
	Commentaries on Chapter 4
	Questions Matter	115
	Reflections on a Renaissance Scholar	118
	America-centrism	121
5.	My Mother's Daughter	125
	Commentaries on Chapter 5
	Commentary on "My Mother's Daughter"	137
	Traveling Solo: A Reflection on Barbara Czarniawska's Journey	140
	Discipline and Practice	145
6.	"Don't Do Longitudinal Research" Nonsense	150
7.	Transitions Revisited	155
	Commentaries on Chapters 6 and 7
	Transitions Revisited: An Unexpected Evocation	171
	Commentary on Anne Huff's Transitions	175
	Images of Scholarship	179
8.	How Projects Lose Meaning: The Dynamics of Renewal	183
	Commentaries on Chapter 8
	Mountain Dancing: A Reflection on Karl Weick's Work	205
	The Process of Renewal: Breathing New Life into Old Projects	209
	Toxins and Antidotes: Parting Thoughts on Researcher Resilience and Renewal	217
	References	227
	Contributors	241
	Index	245

Editorial Reviews

"Stablein and Frost's Renewing Research Practice is one of those books that any scholar in the organizations and management field simply must read! It is a book of breathtaking honesty rather than reconstructed logic, lifting the veil on what the practice of research as intellectual craft really involves. We learn that even the very best researchers sometimes have metaphorical feet of clay and literal moments of dread when they stall or are unable to find their way—but are able to lift themselves up, dust themselves down, and start over again—an ability that makes them what they have become." —Stewart Clegg, University of Technology, Sydney, School of Management

"Stablein and Frost investigate challenges that researchers confront in pursuing and sustaining their careers. Springboarding from autobiographical essays by 8 researchers, 14 others extract practical heuristics for maintaining one's enthusiasm, and the editors reflect on the social and ideological contexts that influence one's research work. The result is a rich experiential stew that can nourish working lives." —Bill Starbuck, Stern School of Business, New York University

"Renewing Research Practice is a thoughtful, engaging and inspiring book that will resonate with researchers at any career stage. The researchers' stories extend the more usual research conversations to consider questions such as, How do we nourish passion for our work over time? How might we cultivate a community of researchers that values our worlds of work as well as our lives apart from work? The result is a book that vividly portrays as well as encourages diverse journeys of research renewal in scholarly communities." —Karen Golden-Biddle,University of Alberta School of Business

From the Publisher