Title: On doing process research

Authors: Paul Nutt

Addresses: Department of Management Sciences, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, 2100 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Abstract: Process is a missing ingredient in the construction of theories for change-related topics such as strategy, transformation, and leadership. Process offers steps needed to take action when fashioning a strategy, engaging in transformation, or leading a change effort. Process questions go beyond describing the strategy to ask what produced the strategy, how to use the strategy, and how to evolve the strategy to meet new circumstances and conditions. The essay discusses the need for process research, identifies some process research questions, shows how process is a key feature in several change-related theories, offers some ways to do process research, and suggests standards to guide the conduct of process research and judge its results; showing how a process perspective expands a researcher|s knowledge and insight into theory building.

Keywords: process research; methods.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCP.2004.004792

International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy, 2004 Vol.1 No.1, pp.1 - 26

Published online: 07 Jul 2004 *

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