New perspectives in action research

The paper presents the main streams and outcomes of a long research path that involved academic researchers of many and diverse Italian universities on the theme and actuality of Action Research. The idea of the broad group of researchers was to reflect on complexities and implications of generating knowledge and change in the actual organizational scenario. An initial questions for the research was about the meaning of being work and organizational psychologists in this field of research and intervention. The paper analyzes the dynamics and characteristic of the action-research perspective as a way to work with real problems and situated contexts. The different ways of practicing action-research are discussed by then highlighting the epistemological, methodological and practical implications of a new vision of applied organizational research.