A Little Less Conversation, a Little More Action: Illustrations of the Mediated Discourse Analysis Method

This article provides an introduction into the innovative use of the methodological approach of Mediated Discourse Analysis (MDA) and illustrates this with examples from an interventionist insider action research study. An overview of the method, including its foundation and association with the analysis of practice and how it can be situated within a reflexive ethnographic and critical realist stance, is presented. It offers samples of findings and analysis for each of the different aspects of method, structured by a set of heuristic questions, as well as an example showing the possibilities of theory development. The article constructs and shows an analytical pathway for HRD researchers to use MDA and concludes with a discussion about the advantages of utilizing MDA, in terms of theory and practice, as well as the practical issues in conducting an MDA study. The implication for the HRD research community is that MDA is a new, innovative, and germane approach for analyzing HRD practice within organizational settings.