The nature of scientific progress in organisational research Online publication date: Tue, 05-Oct-2021
by Valentina Tymoshenko
International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy (IJMCP), Vol. 14, No. 2, 2021
Abstract: Organisational theories differ from theories in natural sciences and many theories in social sciences as they are too ambiguous to be tested empirically and there are no competition and natural selection between different theories. In addition, different philosophical assumptions held by organisational researchers from different camps prevent this selection. Given this fragmented nature of organisational sciences and the eclectic nature of organisational theories, which precludes its empirical testing and natural selection, the paper asks and discusses what is meant by progress in social sciences in general and in organisational research in particular. The progress in organisational sciences is equated to theory development as the end in itself while the latest consists from observations and classifications instead of generalisations and increase in explanatory and predictive power. The position that organisational theories should be accessible to empirical tests by clearly delineating their domain of application is defended.
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