Page 200 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

to address problematic situations and bring about noticeable improvements, whereas my concept

of Action Learning emphasized the in the moment experience (is the practice of being present in

conversation) leading to the development of group facilitation skills to guide fairness and insightful

dialogue along with the skill to ask the right questions (Nelzon-Jones, 1992). Nevertheless, the

two approaches are similar in some respects as both are “problem-focused, action-orientated and

utilize group dynamics” (Abraham, 2012, p. 6).

The PALAR part assumption on my part is that those participating in group discussion

formatted as a Community Conversation are ideally placed to have knowledge of their own interest

and circumstances that bring them together to talk about it; such as where information might be

gained and how new information could improve their situation (Bobo, Kendall, & Max, 1991). In

this PALAR construct CC members are in a position to “utilize the results of the research for

implementation and action to change the system” (Revans, 1982). The three basic elements are

active collaboration, an iterative cyclical process and a consultative process. This process means

that the project is undertaken in a collaborative and participatory manner with active engagement

from stakeholders throughout the organization. This PAL/AR method of learning and engagement

for research helped my dissertation along as “I” the researcher was a member of a “set” throughout

the course of the grad project. Other “set” members included students from my Group Theory and

Communications classes I taught as an instructor at ITT in Albany, New York whom over the

course of time were participating in an action learning / action research project in their community

or elsewhere (work), and whom met on campus on a weekly basis over a three-month period during

each project, as some students had to take two of my classes their projects went into next semester.

As a self-described ‘graduate student activist’ I am an advocate for the transformational

potential of this research to generate theory and relate practical approaches along with

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