ABSTRACT
Professional settings constitute obvious and natural research sites for the study of workplace discourse. Workplace research presents the researcher with a conflict between what is theoretically desirable and what is empirically possible in relation to access. The workplace as a research site requires the researcher to be creative, imaginative, rigorous and adaptable at the same time. The aim of workplace discourse research is to unpack how things work and the different angles of a problem. An Appreciative Enquiry (AI) approach can be particularly useful in facilitating workplace research but also in enabling change and participation. AI affords a stronger relationship which in the short term can provide better access and data but in the long term it also affords research becoming a catalyst for change. Investing in a relationship and spending time in a research setting allows the researcher to be seen and recognised as a trustworthy interactant.
