IN DEFENSE OF ACTION RESEARCH ADOPTION IN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH, IN BRAZIL

An analysis of the work published at national Management events shows that action research in Brazil has been used in a considerably restricted manner. It seems the reason for this is the difficulty faced by researchers in justifying the academic merits of this methodological strategy versus the traditional scientific approach. Thus, a proper understanding of the nature of action research and its supportive assumptions could help to sustain the argument in favor of its adoption. Accordingly, the objective of the work is to revisit the main characteristics of action research, highlighting the distinctive features that grant it a unique identity: one that is legitimate and relevant in the context of scientific research. It is concluded that action research is normally adopted when the issue researched is shown to be complex and less studied, thus requiring significant interaction between the researchers and research object, being based on questions that are of main importance to the actual subjects involved. It can, therefore, be considered an approach that is of definite relevance to organizational science in general and management ones in particular.