Action research: Combining research and problem solving for socio-technical engineering and innovation management research

Action Research is an established and powerful applied research approach that combines scientific knowledge creation with practical problem-solving and competence building. This article provides a structured overview of the underlying characteristics of action research, suitable areas of application, and a framework to help structure the variety of action research approaches. The application of action research is illustrated using the example of Action Innovation Management Research, which is particularly useful for complex socio-technical engineering and innovation management research.