Abstract
This study explores how Action Research (AR) can be used as a change management methodology to develop a high-performance team (HPT) by leveraging four team performance triggers: leadership, team composition, certain team conditions and team development interventions within a single organisation case study. While AR has been applied across various organisational contexts, its use in developing HPTs through these team performance triggers remains under-examined.In addition, before undertaking this study, the financial performance of the organisation subject to this research was in decline. Therefore, this study addresses the research problem: How can AR be used to transform the organisation into an HPT by leveraging its leadership, team composition, certain team conditions and team development interventions?
The project was divided into three stages to address the research problem. These include stage 1, when the team performance and the team performance triggers were measured. Stage 2 involved a major AR cycle taking place to plan and execute improvement strategies, observe their outcomes, and reflect upon them. Stage 3 involved the measurement of team performance and the team performance triggers for a second time to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken in stage 2. The main findings of this study include improvements in the organisation’s financial performance, 23 innovative strategies and 18
learning outcomes.
Moreover, addressing the research problem resulted in nine extensions and one
contribution to knowledge. The first extension to knowledge relates to the notion that AR is an effective change management model for solving complex problems like developing an HPT. The next five extensions are related to the cyclical nature of AR, the collaboration among AR team members, the use of a research journal, the compilation of AR meeting minutes and the scheduling of regular AR meetings. The seventh extension relates to the evolving nature of Belbin’s nine team roles theory, while the eighth and nineth extensions support Lewin’s Field Theory and 3-Step Model, respectively. The contribution to knowledge relates to the use of the AR method to develop an HPT in the construction industry by
leveraging leadership, team composition, certain team conditions and team development interventions.
Finally, the implications for practice relate to how AR can be used to develop an HPT, enhance leadership, team composition and motivation, as well as the risks associated with potential insider-researcher conflicts and how to mitigate them, the size of this project and the resources required and how to use the information in this research as an organisational performance evaluation tool.
| Date of Award | 16 Dec 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Mulyadi Robin (Supervisor) & Diane Kalendra (Supervisor) |