Stringer's Seven Factors Explored

¶ … Lagace, M. (2000, May 23). The emerging art of negotiation. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge: A First Look at Faculty Research. Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/1517.html.

In Chapter 3, Stringer (2007) goes into considerable detail about obtaining involvement of stakeholders and building a preliminary picture of organizational circumstances. Toward the end of the Chapter, he describes seven factors that are essential to creating and maintaining credibility. Without doubt, experienced action research practitioners would tell you that projects that succeeded addressed each of these seven concepts in meaningful ways. Projects that did not do well usually ignored or treated casually one or more of these factors.

As the feasibility of an AR project is being explored and socially constructed, relevant people are deciding how to position themselves relative to the project and, most particularly, the person or persons designated to lead the project. Without doubt, these early negotiations have a huge bearing on how the project will proceed. Sometimes this process involves overt and hotly contested negotiations. More typically, the negotiations occur in a more subtle and indirect way. It is crucial, as an action researcher, you analyze group and interpersonal processes in order to advance the credibility of negotiations

1. In your response, identify at least one of the seven factors to create and maintain credibility that would be most difficult to address in your organization.

Of course, the seven factors in play when it comes to Stringer's model are establishing contact, sampling/identifying stakeholder groups, identifying key people, establishing a role, agenda, stance and position. One of those that would be difficult in the author of this report's organization would be establishing a role. The roles held by the different people in the organization sort of bend and shape with the moment or the situation. As such, pinning down who should do what in many to most situations may not be the easiest thing to do. While that is an asset in some situations, it can create a power vacuum when something truly seismic comes along and puts people off-guard (Stringer, 2007). As Legace notes, negotiations are rarely open and shut (Legace, 2000)

2. Analyze the situation by using Stringer's seven factors as the primary consideration.