Pragmatic is a philosophy and research paradigm that is based on an emphasis on actionable knowledge, the interconnectedness of experience, knowing and acting, and inquiry as a dynamic process. It is a powerful framework for research on organizational processes in non-government organizations (NGOs). This article explicates three core methodological principles that strengthen the pragmatist approach to inquiry as it applies to the anthropological study of these organizational processes. The project examples used in this article demonstrate how these principles strengthen each stage of the research process from the design and collection of data to the analysis and dissemination of findings.
The roots of pragmatism reach back to Dewey and William James, with a first generation turning pragmatism towards inquiry into the nature of truth in religion (James 1894) and a second generation applying it to education and other dimensions of social improvement, such as Jane Addams’ development of the profession of social work (Jackson 2003). The pragmatic perspective gained momentum and is now well-established in academic and scholarly circles in areas such as feminism, ecology, Native American philosophy and African-American studies (Morgan 2014a).
In contrast to more theoretical approaches, which focus on the meaning of words and what speakers mean when they utter them, pragmatics examines how those words are actually used to achieve specific goals, what effect they have and what they manage to communicate in practical terms. It is this pragmatic interpretation of the meaning of words and their use that defines the field of pragmatics, and which distinguishes it from a philosophical approach to language such as relevance theory, where a distinction is drawn between what something means in an arbitrary context and what it actually does in practice.
A major characteristic of the pragmatist worldview is that the reality we live in is constantly changing and that actions are the key to this change. It is a view that pragmatists believe is inherently social and that, for this reason, it is essential to explore human life as part of a social whole. In addition, it is a worldview that is open to all, and therefore pragmatism is a democratic philosophy.
The pragmatist approach to problem solving has been described as a “dynamic system” that involves detection of the need for action and an adequate course of action to take. Dewey’s five-step model of problem solving, adapted by Morgan (2014)a, illustrates this concept. Detection of the need for action occurs when the researcher encounters a situation that is outside her/his current range of experiences and/or knowledge. Then, in the next step, the researcher considers how she/he might best address the problem and takes action accordingly. In this way, the researcher gradually increases her/his level of understanding. The final step is when the researcher compares the results of different actions and chooses one that will yield the most beneficial result. The research question becomes: “What is the most effective way to achieve this goal?” The process of taking action is a learning experience.
