Philosophical Paradigms in Social Research on Organizational Capacity for Change - Essay Example

OCC RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY DEVELOPMENT Student’s Name: Code + Course name Professor’s name University City, State Date Philosophical Paradigms It is evident that social research on organizational capacity for change (OCC) is a form of action research that is essential in solving practical problems, enhancing the existing theory, creating an implementation framework in behavioral science, and stimulating greater understanding. At the onset of the research process, the researcher had to decide on whether to use a qualitative or quantitative research methodology. The researcher opted for a quantitative research methodology based on the research choice of positivism. Consequently, the researcher intended to use quantification and controlled experiments in the application of deductive reasoning to identify specific instances from general principles in organizational capacity for change. In accordance with the positivist approach to research design, it was imperative for the researcher to use a survey and experimental design in conducting the research. According to De Villiers and Fouché (2015), a paradigm is a framework that identifies varied assumptions concerning the social world on the utilisation of science on the constituents of legitimate problems, criteria of proof and solutions in the society. Prior to the selection of the quantitative research by the researcher, it was imperative for the researcher to understand the underlying assumptions of a valid research. As an action research, the researcher had to understand the epistemological and ontological assumptions associated with the research. Ontological assumptions refer to the assumptions of reality whereas epistemological assumptions refer to the assumptions of knowledge. The use of knowledge-based (epistemological) and reality-based (ontological) assumptions in the research on the drivers of organisational capacity for change was instrumental in the formulation of research questions and appropriate methodologies to respond to the questions. In essence, the researcher had to identify ontological assumptions by giving out an individualised perception of the real world from a realist perspective. From the perspective, the objective existence of an external reality from the relativist or researcher’s perspective is evident. The reasoning emanated from the understanding of the researcher that various factors and circumstances have an influence on the reality of organisational capacity for change (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). The real factors identified by the researcher include people, resources, infrastructure, trustworthy leadership, organisational culture, and learning. The researcher then translated ontology into epistemology in order to determine questions regarding the perspective of the researcher toward knowledge of organisational capacity for change. Gaining such knowledge occurs either through experience of the senses by the researcher through experimentation. Gaining the knowledge that leads to understanding the epistemological assumptions could also take place through a complex and multi-layered process where the researcher interprets a single phenomenon in different ways. The researcher also had to translate ontological assumptions into epistemological assumptions. To achieve this, the researcher made an independent entry into the research topic by ascertaining the existing absolute knowledge regarding the objective reality. In essence, the researcher separated himself from the research topic. Epistemological assumptions refer to the theory of knowledge that exhibits specific connection with the validation and methods used in the research process (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). Therefore, the epistemological assumptions covered how the researcher knew things and his understanding on what is acceptable in the field. In acquiring such knowledge, the researcher used the approach of empiricism. According to the empiricism approach, measurement and observation are at the epicentre of any research process. This is evident by the decision of the researcher to observe and measure the six attributes in the organisational setup in order to affirm or ascertain the already existing knowledge about their influence on organisational capacity for change. In order to use the empiricism approach, the researcher has to employ deductive reasoning that entails starting from what is already known about the topic and advancing into the unknown aspects of the phenomenon (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). The application of deductive reasoning under the empiricism approach was detrimental in the research since it enabled the formulation of the hypotheses of the research that the researcher could test and confirm. In essence, the approach employed by the researcher reveals the movement from the general aspects of the phenomenon to its specific aspects. Besides the ontological and epistemological philosophical paradigms used in the research, the researcher also used axiological, rhetorical, and methodological paradigms. The value-free nature of quantitative research necessitated the use of axiological assumptions in explaining the values of the six drivers of organisational change. Before embarking on the actual research process, it was imperative for the researcher to provide an insight into the six variables and their influence toward organisational capacity for change. The use of formal language in the research provides evidence to the use of rhetorical assumptions by the researcher. Rhetorical assumptions played a pivotal role in the research by ascertaining the use of formal language in order to enable the researcher to test the validity of the knowledge (Heylighen 1999). Besides testability, the use of formal language by the researcher in the quantitative research aimed at achieving storability and universal communicability. Finally, the researcher also used methodological assumptions in the quantitative research. Deductive reasoning and deductive processes form the basis of methodological assumptions. The use of deductive reasoning by the researcher was effective in enabling the researcher to use theory to guide the drawing of research inferences on specific applications from general phenomena or principles. The deductive processes employed by the researcher in the methodology include proposing the general theory, formulating the hypotheses of the research, observing and collecting data, and making empirical generalisations (Peterson 2014). In essence, the decision of the researcher to use ontological, epistemological, rhetorical, axiological, and methodological assumptions in the quantitative research was essential in enabling the researcher to attain the research objectives. Justification of the Positive Paradigm The research paradigms adopted by the researcher would determine the results of the epistemological assumptions (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). In essence, the knowledge that the researcher gained regarding the six drivers of organisational capacity for change validated the use of the positivism paradigm in the research process. The epistemological assumptions also determined the process that the researcher adopted in obtaining the required knowledge as well as the data collection process. The ontological component of the research reveals the realism or common sense aspect of the researcher. As a positivist, the researcher believed it is only through the use of senses that one can understand the phenomena covered by the research. The senses include hearing, taste, smell, touch, and sight. As a positivist, the researcher views the world as existing independent of the existing knowledge about it. This is objective and separated from the researcher. Extending the understanding to the research on understanding the drivers of organisational capacity for change in the UAE government, it is evident that the researcher had an initial understanding that the six factors or drivers have an influence on organisational capacity for change regardless of the existing knowledge that people have regarding the drivers. In applying the positivism paradigm to the research process, what is evident from the researcher is that an organisation that fails to leverage on trustworthy leadership, people, infrastructure, resources, culture, and learning would find it difficult to implement changes effectively thereby undermining its growth in the desired direction. From the positive paradigm perspective, this is a general statement. A contingency statement is where an organisation opts to implement change without taking into consideration the six drivers of change. The researcher then concludes that such an organisation would find it difficult to implement change effectively. Therefore, the positivism paradigm entails the development of a general statement by the researcher followed by the contingency and concluding statements in that order of sequence (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). It is important to note that the general and contingency statements are the basis of the concluding statement. In accordance with other quantitative research endeavours carried out by researchers, the research is empirical in nature and reveals the use of deductive reasoning by the researcher. In summary, the research exhibits the use of the positivism paradigm by the researcher to discover truth and use empirical methods to demonstrate the discovered truths (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). The drivers of organisational capacity for change are the truths discovered by the researcher. They include trustworthy leadership, organisational culture, learning, people, infrastructure, and resources. In demonstrating the truths, the researcher formulated hypotheses and conducted a survey to test the formulated hypotheses and conclude the research phenomenon. Therefore, the research was objective and entailed the use of deductive reasoning through the empiricism approach. The effectiveness of the positivism paradigm employed by the research using both ontological and epistemological assumptions is evident in its ability to define, clarify, and predict the organisational capacity for change phenomena. The researcher was able to seek the facts and driving forces of organisational capacity for change utilising the subjective states of individuals with quantitative research methods. Even though inductive reasoning was necessary to answer the research questions, it is evident that deductive reasoning dominated the research process in a bid to achieve the objectives of the research. The application of deductive reasoning was effective in shifting arguments from general principles to specific instances (De Villiers and Fouché 2015). The first research question aimed at identifying the model of organisational capacity for change that existed in the Governmental departments and the attributes that contributed to the existence of the model. This necessitated the slight application of the interpretivist approach because of the limited specific principles on organisational capacity for change. The application of the positivism paradigm is most appropriate in dealing with the second question that aimed at exploring the existence of a statistical correlation between organisational capacity for change and organisational development. Reference List De Villiers, R.R. and Fouché, J.P., 2015. Philosophical paradigms and other underpinnings of the qualitative and quantitative research methods: an accounting education perspective. J Soc Sci, 43(2), pp.125-142. Heylighen, F., 1999. Advantages and limitations of formal expression. Foundations of Science, 4(1), pp.25-56. Peterson, J., 2014. Philosophical Paradigms, Data Collection, and Analysis Design of a Green Technology Education Mixed Methods Research. Read More