Action research, organizational learning and institutional innovation processes in shared responsibility systems for disability

Abstract

The choice to adopt action research is consistent with research processes in which the object
of the study relates to the construction of common functioning structures and organizational
learning: it becomes a flexible solution to the problem of the relationship between
theory and practice, between research as a cognitive process with a logico-analytical
basis, and intervention, with transformative processes of relations between subjects
and local institutions.
The theoretical questions are enriched by the interaction with application processes and
objectives, through which the various participants actively contribute to the construction
of the outcomes, improving communication and mutual learning.
Using these reflections as a starting point, this article will present a research-action pathway
that originates from the innovation needs of local welfare systems whose agents deal
with shared responsibility and individualized planning for and with people with disabilities.
In this project, the institutional structures had to become more active in meeting differentiated
needs and in developing flexibility and integration skills, in so doing promoting
evaluation and design functions that emerged from processes of co-participation between
the different parties involved, including citizens with disabilities and their families.