Bob Dick
This is an index to documents authored or co-authored by me, and
a commentary -- an "explication" -- on those documents. With the exception of this index, the
documents are in PDF format. To
read them you'll need a recent version of Acrobat Reader. If you don't have it, you can obtain a free copy from
the Adobe site.
If you'd like to skip to the index, click here. If you'd prefer first to read some background information, read on...
What's it about?
When I began to plan the thesis I read much of my earlier writing
to identify some themes. It became
evident that much of my writing was about the design and facilitation of
processes for learning, change and research. Further, for 30 years now I've been interested in processes
which were robust -- easy to use, and quite resistant to failure even in the
hands of novices.
Accordingly, that's the emphasis in the explication and the
documents referenced below.
Background
The explication and associated documents were submitted in late
2005 to International Management Centres Association in partial fulfilment of
the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Letters, DLitt. This is not a university-accredited
award. I did it for fun and
learning rather than for a qualification.
In all, 72 associated documents are summarised in the
explication. Most of those documents
are available by following the links below.
For a handful of them the journal publisher holds the
copyright. Where possible I've
provided a link to the publisher's web site, where the papers may be available
for a price.
Some others are books and monographs which I have only in hard
copy. (That's not quite true. I have electronic copies done in
earlier versions of MS Word. In
current versions of Word the formatting is mangled. I'm not prepared to make them available as they are and I
don't presently have the time to reformat them.) Most of them are for sale as bound books or monographs
from Interchange, details on the web
site.
The index: the thesis explication
(The explication is a commentary on documents I had written previously. You'll find links to those documents in the section following this one.)
Preamble containing the Abstract and various preliminary material
Chapter 1 Introduction, in which I identify "process" as the theme of this explication and preview the conclusions about process which I will draw and illustrate from my experience and my publications
Chapter 2 Context, in which I describe the background experience I bring to this task, and the theories and concepts which have most shaped how I think about process
Chapter 3 The nature of knowledge, in which I outline briefly my approach to philosophy and then describe the style of theory which underpins much of the practical work described in this document; I explain how it differs from some common conceptions of theory
Chapter 4 Learning processes, in which I describe the development of democratic and experiential learning processes using a process of continuous improvement; I then identify some principles for the design of learning processes, including robust processes
Chapter 5 Change processes, in which my writing on change processes, theories and skills is summarised, and some conclusions about the design and facilitation of change processes are drawn; the emphasis is again on processes which are robust in the hands of relative novices, and on the skills they require to use these processes successfully
Chapter 6 Action research processes, in which I present and summarise documents on action research and related topics; using them, I identify further characteristics of processes which are effective in the hands of practitioners, including novices
Chapter 7 Achieving robust processes, in which I draw together the characteristics of robust processes previously identified, and in some instances extend them further
Chapter 8 Conclusions, in which I summarise the features which contribute robustness to facilitation processes, identify my contribution to knowledge, nominate possible further developments, and finally reflect on the explication and its personal significance for me
References to work by other authors cited in the explication.
The associated documents
(These are the documents referred to in various chapters of the explication beginning with Chapter 3.)
Chapter 3: the nature of knowledge
(a) The nature of theory
Paper 01 Bob Dick (nd) A model of models. Background paper for a departmental seminar. First written about 1976. Graphics updated and reformatted. [84 KB]
Paper 02 Bob Dick (2001) Maslow revis(it)ed: Maslow's hierarchy of needs examined and reformulated. A discussion paper originally written in the 1980s, revised 1990, 1993. References added for this version, 2001. [184 KB]
Paper 03 Bob Dick (2002) Practitioner theories. Draft paper. [124 KB]
Paper 04 Bob Dick (2002) Questions for reflection. A resource paper for a public on line course in action research. [88 KB]
Chapter 4: Learning processes
(a) University classes
Paper 05 Bob Dick (1989) Mechanisms for democracy in learning: some reflections on continuing experiments on democracy in the tertiary classroom, second edition. Chapel Hill: Interchange. First edition 1987. Reformatted with very minor changes 2002. [356 KB]
Paper 06 Bob Dick (1991) Educating the change agents. Studies in Continuing Education, 13(2), 139-152. An invited and refereed paper. [156 KB]
Paper 07 Bob Dick (1990) Democracy for learners. In B. Smith, ed., Management development in Australia. Sydney: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich [pp 140-148]. Invited book chapter. Not included.
Paper 08 Adelle Bish and Bob Dick (1992) Reflection for everyone: catering for individual differences. A paper prepared for the Reflective practices in higher education conference held in Brisbane 11-13 July 1992. [180 KB]
(b) The design of learning processes
Monograph — Tim Dalmau and Bob Dick (1992) Managing transitions: a key to creating effective learning environments. Chapel Hill, Qld.: Interchange. This monograph may be purchased from Interchange.
Paper 09 Bob Dick (2001) Design for learning: processes and models for the design of learning activities. Chapel Hill: Interchange. (Version 5.06). First edition 1981. Revised and reformatted regularly, this minor revision 2001. [308 KB]
(c) Examples of activities
Paper 10 Bob Dick (2002) The design of experiential learning activities. Unpublished paper (mimeo). [108 KB]
Paper 11 Bob Dick (1986) Self and others. An extract from Bob Dick, Learning to communicate: activities, skills, techniques, models. A joint publication of Interchange and the University of Queensland Bookshop. [368 KB]
Paper 12 Bob
Dick (1987) Tight-rope: a video script on telephone communication skills. Developed
for Department of Social Security.
[136 KB]
Paper 13 Bob Dick (1991) Powerplay: a "do-it-yourself" simulation. A paper accompanying an experiential workshop at the Experiential Learning Conference, Hawkesbury Agricultural College, 1989, and subsequently revised. [96 KB]
(d) Other papers
Paper 14 Bob Dick (1996) Is it time to revise the scientist-practitioner model? An unpublished discussion paper. [92 KB]
Paper 15 Bob Dick (1995) A Venusian anthropologist's report on the teaching of psychology, with the preface "On being a Venusian anthropologist." Nathan, Qld: Griffith University, School of Behavioural Science. [136 KB]
Paper 16 Bob Dick, Alf Lizzio and Keithia Wilson (1995) Course design: a Masters/PhD program in organisational psychology. Nathan: Griffith University, School of applied psychology. A discussion paper. [100 KB]
Chapter 5: Change processes
(a) Change models
Paper 17 Bob Dick (2001) Community and organisational change: a manual. Chapel Hill, Qld.: Interchange. [528 KB]
Paper 18 Bob Dick (1990) Processes for community consultation. A resource document prepared for the use of facilitators and members of local area consultative committees associated with the community consultation project for road planning in Queensland. Brisbane: Department of Transport. [480 KB]
Paper 19 Bob Dick (2001) Community consultation checklist, fifth revision. Interchange: mimeo. [108 KB]
Paper 20 Bob Dick (2002) Joyful productivity: creating joyful and productive cultures, version 1.06. Chapel Hill, Qld: Interchange. [208 KB]
Paper 21 Bob Dick (2003) A brief history of organisations. Interchange, unpublished mimeo. [336 KB]
Paper 22 Tim Dalmau and Bob Dick (1991) A diagnostic model for selecting interventions for community and organisational change, second edition. Chapel Hill: Interchange. [244 KB]
Paper 23 Tim Dalmau and Bob Dick (1990) Politics, conflict and culture: concepts for cultural change. Chapel Hill: Interchange. [404 KB]
Monograph — Tim Dalmau and Bob Dick (1990) From the profane to the sacred: small groups as vehicles for cultural change, revised edition. Chapel Hill: Interchange. This monograph may be purchased from Interchange.
Monograph — Bob Dick and Tim Dalmau (1994) To tame a unicorn ... recipes for cultural change, third edition. Chapel Hill: Interchange. This monograph may be purchased from Interchange.
(b) Change skills and methods
Paper 24 Bob Dick (2002) Building agreement from disagreement: the anatomy of dialectical processes. Chapel Hill, Qld.: Interchange. [180 KB]
Book — Bob Dick (1991) Helping groups to be effective: skills, processes and concepts for group facilitation, second edition. Chapel Hill, Qld.: Interchange. This book may be purchased from Interchange.
Paper 25 Bob Dick (1987) The management of conflict: a systematic approach to team building and mediated and unmediated conflict resolution. Chapel Hill: Interchange (mimeo). [296 KB]
Paper 26 Bob Dick (1983) Conflict resolution skills and techniques in management development. Part 1. Journal of Management Development, 2(3), 42-54. Part 2. Journal of Management Development, 2(4), 15-31. Not included.
Monograph — Bob Dick (1990) Frameworks for effective third party conflict management. Chapel Hill: Interchange. This brief monograph may be purchased from Interchange.
Paper 27 Bob Dick (1996) The 7 functions of team building. An unpublished conference paper [132 KB]
(c) Personal applications
Monograph — Bob Dick (1989) Jung for sceptics: Jung's psychological types as decision-making preferences. Chapel Hill: Interchange. This monograph may be purchased from Interchange.
Paper 28 Bob Dick (2003) Managing upwards: a workbook. Chapel Hill, Qld.: Interchange (mimeo). [132 KB]
Paper 29 Bob Dick (1990) Planning your own development. In B. Smith, ed., Management development in Australia. Sydney: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich [pp 260- 266]. [112 KB]
Paper 30 Bob Dick (1983) Life and career planning: a workbook exercise. Brisbane: Department of Psychology, University of Queensland. [112 KB]
(d) Interventions
Book — Bob Dick (with the help of ideas from Frank Denham, Robyn Cross and Eve Robinson) (2001) Search: a participative community planning process including a participant workbook, version 7. Chapel Hill, Qld: Interchange. This workbook may be purchased from Interchange. A free partly formatted version is on the action research web site.
Paper 31 Vidler, Lloyd, and Dick, Bob (1985) Mapping: planning for the future of the Division of Mission and Parish Services [of the Queensland Synod of The Uniting Church]. Unpublished mimeo. [136 KB]
(e) Action learning
Paper 32 Bob Dick (2002) Action learning. An extract from Cropper, B., Dick, B., Donaldson, B, and Patty, C., Learning from action. Brisbane: Department of Families. [292 KB]
Paper 33 Bob Dick (in press) Improving leadership capability with action learning. Prepared for Stewart Hase and Lester Davis, eds., Forget the map. Get a compass. Australian Institute of Management / McGraw-Hill Australia. [116 KB]
Paper 34 Bob Dick (1997) Universities are learning organisations, aren't they? An invited talk given at Southern Cross University, 9 October 1997. [104 KB]
(f) Action science
Book — Bob Dick and Tim Dalmau (1999) Values in action - applying the ideas of Argyris and Schšn, second edition. Chapel Hill, Qld: Interchange. Not included. The book may be purchased from Interchange. The first third of it is an overview of the ideas of Argyris and Schon, available on the action research web site.
Paper 35 Bob Dick and Tim Dalmau (1992) Discussing the undiscussable: improving group effectiveness and openness. Paper presented at the Second World Congress on Action Learning, University of Queensland, 1992. [88 KB]
Paper 36 Bob Dick and Tim Dalmau (1992) Discussing the undiscussable: workbook. Experiential workshop presented at the Second World Congress on Action Learning, University of Queensland, 1992. [168 KB]
Paper 37 Bob Dick (1992) Practising what we preach: identifying the gaps between espoused and actual values. A brief paper prepared for the First International Values Symposium, Warilda Conference Centre, Brisbane, 20-21 July 1992. [124 KB]
Chapter 6: Action research processes
(a) Action research overall
Paper 38 Bob Dick (1997-2005) Areol: action research and evaluation on line. Copy of an email and web based course in action research. An index to the original materials is on the web at http://www.uq.net.au/action_research/areol/areolind.html [596 KB]
Paper 39 Bob Dick (1997-2002) Occasional pieces in action research methodology. Occasional discussion pieces appearing on the armnet-l mailing list. Available on line at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arm/op000.html [204 KB]
Paper 40 Bob Dick (2001) Action research: action and research. In Shankar Sankaran, Bob Dick, Ron Passfield and Pam Swepson, eds., Effective change management using action learning and action research : concepts, frameworks, processes, applications. Lismore, NSW, Australia: Southern Cross University Press, pp 21-27. Not included. The book in which this was included may be purchased from Southern Cross University Press.
Paper 41 Bob Dick (2002) Action research: action and research. A paper prepared for the seminar "Doing good action research" held at Southern Cross University, Monday February 18, 2002. [204 KB]
(b) Data collection and rigour
Monograph — Bob Dick (1990) Convergent interviewing, version 3. Brisbane: Interchange. Out of print. A shorter account of the interviewing method is available on the action research web site.
Paper 42 Bob Dick (1999) Rigour in data collection. An unpublished paper prepared as a resource for thesis candidates using interviewing for data collection. [68 KB]
Paper 43 Bob Dick and Pam Swepson (1994) Appropriate validity and its attainment within action research: an illustration using soft systems methodology. Paper presented at World Congress Three on Action Learning, Action Research and Process Management, University of Bath. [168 KB]
Paper 44 Bob Dick (1999) Sources of rigour in action research: addressing the issues of trustworthiness and credibility. A paper presented at the Association for Qualitative Research Conference "Issues of rigour in qualitative research" at the Duxton Hotel, Melbourne, Victoria, 6-10 July 1999. [128 KB]
Monograph — Bob Dick (1999) Rigour without numbers: the potential of dialectical processes as qualitative research tools, third edition. Brisbane: Interchange. Not included. May be purchased from Interchange.
Paper 45 Bob Dick (1990) Small group decision-making: a robust version of Heller's group feedback analysis. Chapel Hill: Interchange. Revised from an earlier drafts written in 1988. There have been minor corrections since 1990. [240 KB]
Paper 46 Bob Dick (1999) Structured focus groups. Chapel Hill: Interchange (mimeo). An unpublished paper first written in 1993 and revised in 1994 and 1999. It is used as a resource document for helping people learn to facilitate focus groups. [100 KB]
(c) Characteristics of action research
Paper 47 Bob Dick (2002) Action research as meta-research. A paper prepared for the International Sociological Association Conference, Brisbane, 7-13 July 2002. [128 KB]
Paper 48 Bob Dick (2001) Making the most of emergent methodologies: a critical choice in qualitative research design. A paper prepared for the Association for Qualitative Research conference, Melbourne, 5-7 July. [356 KB]
Paper 49 Gerry Roberts and Bob Dick (2003) Emancipatory design choices for action research practitioners. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 13(6), 486-495. Not included. May be purchased from Wiley.
(d) Action research theses
Paper 50 Bob Dick (1993) You want to do an action research thesis? - How to conduct and report action research. (Including a beginner's guide to the literature). Chapel Hill, Qld.: Interchange. Available on the web at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/ gcm/ar/arp/arthesis.html [388 KB]
Paper 51 Bob Dick (2002) Action research for theses and dissertations. The Learning Organization, 9(4), 159-170. This invited paper first appeared in O. Zuber-Skerritt (2000) Action learning, action research and process management: theory, practice, praxis. Brisbane: Action Research Unit, Faculty of Education, Griffith University. Not included. May be purchased from Emerald.
Paper 52 Bob Dick and Alan Davies (1995) Thesis supervision at a distance: the potential of email. A paper presented at the Open Learning Conference, Ballina, 4-6 September 1995. [116 KB]
Paper 53 Bob Dick (1995) Action research theses. A resource paper accompanying AREOL, the on line course in action research. [104 KB]
Paper 54 Bob Dick (1994) Action research: is it too risky for theses? Address to Social Psychology Study Group, School of Behavioural Science, Griffith University, May. [80 KB]
(e) Reviews
Paper 55 Bob Dick (2001, October). Utopia made practical? Action research comes of age. Review Essay: Peter Reason & Hilary Bradbury (Eds.) (2001). Handbook of action research: participative inquiry and practice [32 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research [On-line Journal], 3(1). An invited book review. [128 KB] Also available at FQS.
Paper 56 Bob Dick (2002) The essential U&I. Review of Wadsworth, Yoland, ed. (2001) The essential U&I. Melbourne: Victoria Health Promotion Foundation. ISBN 0-9579990-0-3. [pp 225 + xi] Au$27.50. ALAR: Action learning and action research journal, 7(2), 106-112. An invited review. [116 KB]
Paper 57 Bob Dick (2004) Action research literature: themes and trends. Action Research, 2(4), 425-444. An invited review of recent action research literature. Not included. May be purchased from Sage.
Paper 58 Bob Dick (2003) Rehabilitating action research: response to Davydd Greenwood's and Bjorn Gustavsen's papers on AR research perspectives in Concepts and Transformation, 7(2), 2002, and 8(1), 2003. Concepts and transformation, 8(3), 255- 263. Not included. May be purchased from Benjamins.
(f) Grounded theory
Paper 59 Bob Dick (2000) Grounded theory: a thumbnail sketch. A paper written as a resource document for thesis candidates using grounded theory for data analysis. It is available on the web at http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/ grounded.html
Paper 60 Bob Dick (2003) What can action researchers learn from grounded theorists. Paper prepared for the research symposium at the Australian and New Zealand ALARPM/ SCIAR conference, Gold Coast, 4-5 May 2003. A refereed paper.
(g) Action research and evaluation
Paper 61 Bob Dick (2003) The Snyder evaluation process. A resource file to support the on line program AREOL: action research and evaluation on line. Slightly revised in 2003 from earlier editions in 1990, 1997 and 1999. The 1999 version is available on line at http://www.uq.net.au/action_research/arp/snyder.html [152 KB]
Paper 62 Bob Dick (2001) Qualitative evaluation for program improvement. A document prepared for and distributed at the IIR conference on evaluation, Brisbane, 7-8 September. Initially prepared as a resource document for an invited paper in 1992. Revised 1998, 2001. [416 KB]