Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/327028 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Citation: 
[Journal:] BRQ Business Research Quarterly [ISSN:] 2340-9444 [Volume:] 26 [Issue:] 4 [Year:] 2023 [Pages:] 347-360
Publisher: 
Sage Publishing, London
Abstract: 
Theory production has been a central focus of management research for decades, mostly because theory legitimizes both management research and, through its application, management practice as professional endeavors. However, such an emphasis on theory glosses over one of its constraining and particularized roles in scientific explanation, namely that theory codifies predictive knowledge. Committing to a 'traditional' or 'critical' understanding of theory thus amounts to embracing the view that prediction is achievable within a circumscribed field of study. Such an embrace is non-controversial in natural science. However, within the realm of management studies, it necessitates and smuggles in a strawman view of human existence, one which does not accommodate freedom and responsibility. This limitation of management theory explains its inadequate utility. This article argues that alternative avenues for management research exist.
Subjects: 
Theoretical perspectives
philosophy of science
research design
research methods
JEL: 
M10
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc Logo
Document Type: 
Article

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