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The
philosophy of the department is rooted in human
values. These values guide our behavior as we strive
to enhance learning and growth amid the demands,
complexities, and confusion of everyday life. They
also reflect the spirit of connectedness among us
that gives life to the department.
The
Power of Ideas
We are committed to scholarship in the generation
of understanding and knowledge through the spirit
of inquiry. We acknowledge multiple ways of knowing
and embrace methodological pluralism. We believe that
scholarship is best accomplished through disciplined
research and systematic methods whether qualitative
or quantitative. Our inquiry is often into aspects
of life and organizational behavior which have not
been illuminated in the field to date; much of our
research is discovery-oriented inquiry. This orientation
requires cross-fertilization from many fields and
a focus on development of innovative methodologies.
Action
Research
We believe that research (i.e., scholarship and inquiry)
and action (i.e., intervention and application) are
essential elements of comprehension and appreciation.
To conduct meaningful research we must intervene into
human systems; similarly, to conduct meaningful interventions
into human systems, we must conduct research. It is
through this duality that we acknowledge that ideas
have consequence in our society. More than merely
acknowledging our ethical responsibility in conducting
research, we are committed to the enhancement of people’s
lives, society, and the world through the use of knowledge.
Development
of Living Systems
We believe that the process of change and development
is best studied and appreciated through engagement
with living systems. The value of working with existing
systems is ability to participate and/or study their
processes as they are occurring. It allows for interaction
with the participants of the organization or system.
It also allows for the observation of inter-unit systems
such as boundary spanning. Living systems may refer
to individuals, groups, organizations, communities,
inter-organizational systems, nations, or global systems.
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