Clinical Inquiry and Reflective Design in a Secrecy-Based Organization

Edgar Schein has consistently maintained that clinical inquiry differs from action research because the setting is created by someone who wants help rather than by the researcher deciding what to study. The authors review emerging literature on clinical inquiry research, participatory action research, collaborative management research, and reflective organiza- tion design where change programs have often been initiated by the clients. These perspec- tives are explored in light of Schein’s visual model of the researcher–client relationship, which focuses on different research interventions and different levels of involvement by researchers and clients. All four perspectives are used to analyze an in-depth and contem- porary case of organization redesign within a high-technology, secrecy-based company in the defense industry. Implications for theory and research practice are explored.