Pragmatic is a philosophy that looks at how we understand language and how our understanding of the world is created through our interactions with it. It also studies how we communicate with each other, the effects of our communication on our actions and how much our understanding of the world around us is based on other people’s experiences. It is often seen as an alternative to epistemological philosophies that emphasize the nature of reality and a view of knowledge as a static, objective entity.
There are different branches of pragmatics, depending on which aspects of linguistic interpretation it focuses upon. It can be broadly split into ‘near-side’ and ‘far-side’ pragmatics, with the former focusing on the semantic significance that is conventionally attached to certain words or sentences (i.e., the ‘utterance-bound content’), and the latter focusing on the context-dependent meanings of utterances, which include ambiguity, indexicality, speech act theory, and conversational implicature.
A major underpinning of pragmatism is that our perceptions of the world are created by our social experiences and therefore all knowledge is social knowledge. In contrast to philosophies that focus on the nature of reality, pragmatists see the nature of knowledge as being relative to our experiences and it is this relativism that makes pragmatism such an appealing research paradigm for studying organizational processes.
In terms of research, pragmatism provides a framework that enables researchers to develop research agendas anchored in respondent experiences and thereby ensure that their research is of practical relevance. The iterative emphasis on actionable knowledge pragmatism promotes is also useful in the study of dynamic organizational processes as it maintains the connection between research and evolving practice, enabling research subjects to continue to contribute to the research throughout its duration.
The three selected pragmatic principles are introduced and analysed in the background section of this article using two project examples, which demonstrate how a pragmatist approach is of value to research into NGO processes. The research design and data collection phases of these projects are also described in detail to illustrate how a pragmatist approach can be used to navigate a range of investigative techniques.
A pragmatic person is someone who tries to be as sensible as possible in their day-to-day life. This can mean being able to adapt to changing circumstances and discarding old beliefs that no longer work in new situations. Being pragmatic can also help a person to be more flexible and open minded, which can be especially beneficial for people who are coming to grips with the fact that they may not have all of the answers when it comes to their health and wellbeing. It can help them to be aware of what works and what doesn’t, which will allow them to build a better foundation for their future.