Wicks, P.G. and Reason, P. (2009) ‘Initiating action research: Challenges and paradoxes of opening communicative space’, Action Research, 7 (3): 243–262.: Patricia Gaya Wicks and Peter Reason show how what happens at the beginning of the inquiry process: in the way access is established and on how participants and co-researchers are engaged in constructing the issues is very important.

Dutton, J., Fahey, L. and Narayanan, V.K. (1983) ‘Toward understanding strategic issue diagnosis’, Strategic Management Journal, 4: 307–323.: Jane Dutton and her co-authors discuss the complexities of constructing an issue for strategic action, noting the role of assumptions, cause-effect understanding, predictive judgements and the symbolic elements of language and labels (please note, this content requires a subscription to Wiley).