Participatory action research in the business sector

Abstract

The article shows the potential of application of the participative methodologies of investigation and social planning for a participative management of the knowledge and the development of intervention strategies in the territory. In this context, an investigation based on action-participation research methodologies implemented in a business initiative of a locality of the Valencian Community is shown. Thus, the influential nature and ability to integrate knowledge, knowledge and learning of the various social and institutional actors favor the promotion and development of strategies capable of responding to the different existing or detected problems. In this sense, it should be noted that in the scientific literature there are still few studies that specifically address participatory action research in the business sector. This becomes a novel contribution of scientific interest to the article. In this context, the text presents a work methodology and the design of a tool that involves the inclusion of negotiations and plural participation in the research process. As well as the subsequent transfer of the different proposals to a matrix that allows to visualize and serve as a guide for decision making. The work also gives an account of the evaluation of the initiatives implemented over time from the reflective processes of the subjects, making an analysis of the scope and limitations of its methodology both in the business sector and in the social structure of the territory.