Research in Cooperatives: Developing a Politically Conscious Research Methodology

ABSTRACT

Cooperatives are distinct from conventional businesses and the technical documents they produce challenge assumptions about documentation practices. To better understand these differences, technical communicators may need a set of tools well-suited to mission-driven, for-profit businesses. In this process-focused article, I draw on action research methodology to take first steps toward articulating the similarities and differences in research between a conventional organization and a cooperative. I demonstrate this framework by using two recent case studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Action research
• workplace studies
• research methods
• organizational communication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Avery C. Edenfield

Avery C. Edenfield is an assistant professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Utah State University. His research agenda works at the intersections of professional communication and community-embedded workspaces with particular attention to how marginalized communities use professional communication for self-advocacy.