Sustainability at work through an action-research perspective: knowledge creation and validity concerns

In this paper the authors reflect on a case of action research conducted in a health and social service organization that provides services for people who are elderly or have disabilities. The aim of the intervention was to explore and support the possibility, at different organizational levels, of building and maintaining a sustainable working life despite the difficult situations faced by this type of organization and the turbulence in the delivery of its services. The authors discuss the concept of sustainability and the action research approach, referring to the description and analysis of the case study: the initial steps to create a committee group and a research group, the proposed process and its development, and an evaluation of and conclusions concerning the intervention. The case will contribute to the debate around some epistemological research questions and issues concerning the validity of the knowledge created: what kind of knowledge does action research produce? What are the proper link and balance needed between theory and practice, and between knowledge and action? What kind of validity is necessary to sustain people s recognition in an action research process?