Background

Communication Research Unit was established in 1971 by Ingvar Lundberg and Bo Strangert at the Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Sweden. Its basic research concerned Cognitive Psychology. In 1975 Bo Strangert, supported by Lauritz Brännström, radically changed the Unit's direction. The cognitive approach was expanded with social and organizational aspects to ensure a systems approach to applications in working life. The research activities were linked with concomitant new Swedish legislation (Work Environment Act, Employment Act) on the working environment and codetermination at the workplace.

The first line of projects was commissioned to handle problems of health and safety, job satisfaction, and co-determination. In this practical fieldwork, we soon experienced that many general theoretical and empirical principles of psychology could only be used as posteriori explanations but were seldom sufficient for planning interventions and conducting action research in complex and diverse practical contexts.

Therefore, our early projects on organization development used Work and Organizational Psychology as a design science. Models and methods had to be constructed and applied dependent on case characteristics and contexts. This practice strongly influenced our advancements in action research and teaching in many different contexts. Later applied projects were conducted by the associated consulting firm ArbOrg Utveckling AB.

This website includes a sample of outlines and scattered notions about our R&D as OD practitioners in various fields over five decades. The advancement in R&D has been possible thanks to dedicated coworkers in the Communication Research Unit and ArbOrg Utveckling AB and the many ambitious students of Work and Organizational Psychology at the former ArbOrg Unit, Umeå University.

Website revised March 2023

by Bo Strangert

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