ABSTRACT
In the late 1960s our experiences of research were, on the whole, of a more traditional character. The people we met in working life could be classified in two broad categories: those who commissioned or sanctioned the research and those who were subjected to it. In many cases those who had provided the data received feedback on the results of the studies, either via formal presentations or written reports. In some cases, the feedback was provided with the explicit purpose of discussing the researchers' analyses and interpretations in order to check and deepen our understanding of the work processes and situations being studied. In this traditional research people are regarded as subjects of study rather than partners with whom research is conducted.
