Deltagerinvolveret organisationsudvikling med PAR som metode.

When a leader wants to initiate or influence some necessary changes in the organization, he must be aware of the fact that the subjects that form the organization create their own meaning about actions the manager wants implemented. This article confronts the assumption that people are by nature resistant to change. The quite widespread narrative of resistance to change, is believed to originate from the many top-down driven change projects implemented by the top management or/and external consultants.
Is it possible to create a desired change in the form of the inter-subjective perception building about the organization in an management group with a Participatory Action Research (PAR) case study? The article deals with a Phenomenological case study, where the researcher, with a PAR approach method, creates a research design with the purpose to influence the participant’s “Subjective perception building” about a specific organizational culture.
This is a case study in the Danish department of a mature German industrial group, which in the past has been a significant producer of equipment for propulsion for the maritime sector. The employees of the organization have experienced a big transformation from primarily being an industry unit to be a knowledge and development organization. This transformation has created a great uncertainty and fear among many of the employees, while at the same time the prevailing perception building around the concept of culture remains shaped by symbols from a more hierarchical classic industrial culture.
Participants of the project was found by a "vacancy" which encouraged participants to apply to become participants in the project and being offered new learning and personal development in return.
This specific case study demonstrates how this participatory approach has succeeded in creating both qualitative and quantitative indications that the culture today is experienced significantly different, while at the same time, employees today feel more comfortable. Both qualitative and quantitative analytics data, has been collected from the field and the fellow researchers subsequently have processed and published it in the organization. In between the analytics, the fellow researchers have launched a number of initiatives in the field, while they at the same time participated in learning workshops and dialogue workshops.
All the participants answer identically that they have experienced the project as instructive and stimulating, while fear has diminished or disappeared altogether. The culture is
now experienced significantly changed by all the stakeholders in the organization.
Keywords: Participant Involving Organizational Development. Action Research. Leadership Development. The Leader as a Fellow Researcher.