Overview

"The core question underlying Integral Research and Innovation is: 'How can social research be turned into social or indeed ""integral"" innovation?' Complementing their acclaimed Transformation Management, this second book in the Transformation and Innovation Series explains how the knowledge creation that underpins transformative processes occurs. The authors show how research has to be transformative, rather than just informative if it is to contribute usefully to building integrated and sustainable enterprises. At a time when business practitioners and others responsible for organizational development are desperate for usable knowledge the authors contend that social science research is failing to support business and management generally. Instead, academic researchers engage in esoteric arguments about research methodology which do not contribute usefully to the resolution of real world problems. Drawing on their experience of environments where researchers and practitioners do engage constructively, resulting in research that is active, participative, and genuinely innovative, Professor Lessem and Dr Schieffer are in territory that is far beyond that covered by standard works on research methodology. This is a book not just for academics and researchers wanting to make a meaningful contribution, but also for reflective practitioners from the corporate organizational, and consultancy based worlds who operate in the area of interface between business and management, education, learning, and society, and who need to know how research can be used to make a real difference."

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9780566089183

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Reviews

'...this remarkable book on 'Research Methodology' which is responsive to all relevant stakeholders. Researchers from the North, the South, the East and the West are now able to draw on their own roots to turn social research into social innovation. A major achievement!' - Martin Hilb, Managing Director, Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management, Switzerland 'This is a unique book since it blends social transformation with business and culture...It is about re-thinking, grounding and framing research to new domains. In an era of global challenges from poverty to climate change, this book offers new notions for enabling and harnessing research to transform organizations and societies.' - Prof. Odeh Al Jayyousi, Regional Director Middle East, IUCN The World Conservation Union, Geneva 'A readable and rigorous book, which is characterised by comprehensiveness, insights, structure and clarity; and which is aided by informative executive summaries, figures and illustrations... It is a timely and pioneering book ...I strongly believe that the book's provocative, grounded and convincing arguments will extend the horizons of prevailing research thoughts and practices and would leave a positive impact on social and management research scholarships and students.' - Adel Rasheed, Professor of Management, Yarmouk University, Jordan '...a bold new way of framing transformation processes that crosses the boundaries of several disciplines...Their way of generating innovation provides a valuable road map that enables change agents to creatively synthesize local identities and global context.' - Prof. Dr Raoul C. D. Nacamulli Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Italy '...superbly balanced research methodologies for both master and doctoral students focusing on social innovation and on social and economic transformation...' - Kensei Hiwaki, Professor of International Economics, Tokyo International University 'I am convinced that this book, and the integral approach to research it advocates, has the potential to advance much needed social innovation in response to the many perplexing problems facing humanity in the 21st Century and beyond.' - Dr Samuel D. Rima, Director, Doctor of Ministry Program, Bethel University, USA 'Integral Research broadens horizons by demonstrating that there are not just different research techniques out there, but entire research traditions from different corners of the world. One of its ground-breaking contributions is to illuminate each tradition and to show how each one can be a well-founded and reliable path to social innovation.' - Dr Alim Khan, Knowledge Officer, World Health Organisation, Geneva 'How can the corporate world liaise business goals with societal objectives? How can government and academia work together to evolve from social philosophy to social impact? How can society embrace culture and innovation? This book impressively charts a path from theory to application, from global to local, and finally indicates how we can tap into the forces of globalization through Integral Research.' - Reza Moussavian, Coordinator Social Innovation Group, Detecon International, Germany - Middle East - Africa '...While the novel approach taken in this book may render it difficult for some readers, the generosity of the authors in illustrating their thoughts and discoveries to a large extent solve this problem and make the learning journey a joyful experience. Integral Research and Innovation is a must-to-read book for social scientists, students and practitioners who want to become innovators in the social and economic arena to transform enterprise and society.' Maryam Nazari, Online Information Review

'...this remarkable book on 'Research Methodology' which is responsive to all relevant stakeholders. Researchers from the North, the South, the East and the West are now able to draw on their own roots to turn social research into social innovation. A major achievement!' - Martin Hilb, Managing Director, Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management, Switzerland 'This is a unique book since it blends social transformation with business and culture...It is about re-thinking, grounding and framing research to new domains. In an era of global challenges from poverty to climate change, this book offers new notions for enabling and harnessing research to transform organizations and societies.' - Prof. Odeh Al Jayyousi, Regional Director Middle East, IUCN The World Conservation Union, Geneva 'A readable and rigorous book, which is characterised by comprehensiveness, insights, structure and clarity; and which is aided by informative executive summaries, figures and illustrations... It is a timely and pioneering book ...I strongly believe that the book's provocative, grounded and convincing arguments will extend the horizons of prevailing research thoughts and practices and would leave a positive impact on social and management research scholarships and students.' - Adel Rasheed, Professor of Management, Yarmouk University, Jordan '...a bold new way of framing transformation processes that crosses the boundaries of several disciplines...Their way of generating innovation provides a valuable road map that enables change agents to creatively synthesize local identities and global context.' - Prof. Dr Raoul C. D. Nacamulli Università di Milano-Bicocca, Italy '...superbly balanced research methodologies for both master and doctoral students focusing on social innovation and on social and economic transformation...' - Kensei Hiwaki, Professor of International Economics, Tokyo International University 'I am convinced that this book, and the integral approach to re

Author Information

Professor Ronnie Lessem is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the London School of Economics. He has been an adjunct professor at IMD, Lausanne and is now Director of the Trans-cultural Centre and programmes at the University of Buckingham, UK. Ronnie Lessem was the managing director of a clothing business in South Africa and he has acted as a consultant and adviser on organisational learning, knowledge creation and cross-cultural management to international companies such as the Anglian Water Group in the UK. He is currently working with Virgin Group companies. Professor Lessem has written over twenty books on subjects including organisational development, change and transformation. Dr Alexander Schieffer studied economics, business administration, law and social sciences at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. He also gained a Doctorate in Leadership at St Gallen. Dr Schieffer is a member of the Society for Organisational Learning and the World Business Academy. He has published a variety of articles and books in the last ten years. Both authors run doctoral programmes at Bethel University, USA , and Buckingham University, UK on Social and Economic Innovation, and are currently designing curricula for sustainable business and economics at Sekem's Heliopolis University in Egypt. They are co-founders of the Geneva-based TRANS4M Four World Center for Social Innovation. www.trans-4-m.com

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