| The purpose of this study of one entrepreneurial internet-based company is to show how action research (AR) was used to foster the company owner's and organization's development in a highly chaotic and rapidly changing business environment. The study is an application of an emergent form of action research to an entrepreneurial firm in rapid growth. The goal was to create, implement, and advance a local theory of change that would help participants make more sense out of, and have greater control over, their situation. The local theory evolved over the course of the engagement, from its role in attempting to structure the company using an empowerment model, to understanding the leader/follower dynamics that arose from the owner's arguably charismatic style of functioning. The local theory named two polarized appearances of the leader's personality that had conflicting effects on staff members and others and their ability to implement an empowered organizational form. With awareness of his empowering and disempowering behaviors, the leader and those close to him were able to minimize the disempowering impacts, which aided them in operating in a more effective manner. Content and methodology findings emerged. Naming the polarized appearances of the leader's personality frames a possible approach for further research into the nether side of a charismatic leader's style. It offers an example that negates Conger's assertion that charismatic leaders empower their followers. Also, strong evidence was provided that this leader grew beyond a narrow charismatic or egoistic style. Growth and its effects on performance are not aspects currently included in charismatic leadership literature, although they are tenets of managerial ego development literature. Action research was successfully used to intervene in the leadership subsystem of the organization. This adaptation of the method should be further developed. Use of this AR approach successfully leant stability to the chaos of an early stage organization, leading to a call for action research to be explored further in that capacity in addition to its classic unfreeze/change/refreeze application. |
