Article Information
Publication date (electronic): 31 December 2015
DOI: 10.emerg/10.17357.3d582c1a50ef4c6182e5b984146fb388
Follow the energy:
Explore energy's force-fields to see action research anew
Bio:
Raymon R. Bruce is Adjunct Professor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and for the University of Electrical Science and Technology China, in Chengdu, P. R. China. He has a career as an Organization Development Consultant practitioner in state, local national and international government beginning as an Organization Development internal consultant during Neely Gardners creation ad installation of his Action Training and Research at the California State Insurance Fund, 1967-1972. Later as an Organization Development consultant for the Department of the Interior to assist the UN Trust Territory Transition Team of Palauan’s to assume their governance of its islands in 1981-2. In addition he was Transition Process Historian for the Clinton-Gore 1992 Presidential Transition Team. He is a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Kaunas, Lithuania -1995; and a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Beijing, P R China - 2005; Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2006; and the Republic of Slovakia - 2006. He was an Invited Fellow at the Rajasthan University in Jaipur, India (2009). He holds a Ph.D. (1992) in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a Master of Science degree in Organization Development (1980) from Pepperdine University, a Master of Arts Degree in theatre (1965) and BA degree in Foreign Language (1961) from the University of Montana. He has presented papers at International conferences. They have been published widely in many U. S. and many international journals and chapters in books in the field of public and private administration with a specialty in managing organization change and government transitions in the United States, Eastern and Central Europe, Rajasthan India, China, and Micronesia. He is the lead author of “Changing Organizations; Practicing Action training and Research,” from his mentor Neely Gardner’s posthumous works, ( Sage, Publications, 1998) and chapters in other books.
Abstract
The analysis of force-fields for managing social change developed by Kurt Lewin, Eric Trist, Fred Emery, and other pioneers in Action Research is used as a guide to explore the role of energy's force-fields in bring about emergent change regarding people, social groups, and ecology. Action Research uses force-fields as dynamic placeholders to follow the forces influencing people's interactions develop into emerging organization complexities of social change. The paper charts a course of exploration that follows energy's force-fields. The exploratory view is through the lens of energy and proceeds along three interlinked paths: 1) Energy: force-fields interacting for change, 2) Complexity: cooperative self-reorganization for change, and 3) Process: Energy's Work Domains for enacting change. By focusing strictly on energy's force-fields in action we can see better how change emerges from the processes of energy's force-fields’ interactions. We can see anew our options for managing social change and develop better ways for us to enact them.
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