Calibrating for Progress: What are the Instrumental Functions of Theory in Management Research?

Abstract

While economics has largely moved ‘beyond theory’, in management research the ‘theory always’ imperative is still held high. This imperative has come under attack lately with scholars saying we have too much theory that explains too little, or that insisting on theoretical contributions in every article hampers our ability to address timely issues. I argue that there is unease with the practice of theorizing in management and organization because we fail to demonstrate what theory does (or cannot do) for advancing knowledge, and under what conditions. In this article, I therefore seek to show when and how management theory is more useful and when less useful for moving research fields forward. Drawing on a position about progress that is rooted in a combination of Popper's critical rationalism and social criticism, I unearth four instrumental functions of theory and three areas of limitation. I suggest that scholars should be clearer about which of these functions their theorizing serves, or use the framework to justify why, instead of crafting theory, they focus on applying theory, on empirical analysis, or on method. The article provides guidance to authors, reviewers, and editors. It also offers suggestions for the strategic positioning and publishing policies of journals.

Big Data, Proxies, Algorithmic Decision‐Making and the Future of Management Theory

“…Second, there are significant implications of our essay concerning the jurisdiction and legitimacy of knowledge claims when borrowed data stem from potentially problematic sources (see e.g., Lindebaum and Fleming, 2023, for an epistemologcial scrutiny of ChatGPT). To begin with, we contribute to political debates about the jurisdiction of knowledge claims in management research (Krlev, 2022;Suddaby, 2014). Management research is somewhat infamous for privileging theories, sometimes at the price of sacrificing practical implications (Davis, 2015).…”

“…First, at the theoretical level, corporate empiricism qualifies as a meta-theoretical phenomenon that changes how and why we theorize about theorizing the way we do (as opposed to a focus on how a specific theory relevant to management research might change). Second, we theoretically contribute to political debates concerning the jurisdiction and legitimacy of knowledge claims in management research (Burrows and Savage, 2014;Krlev, 2022;Lindebaum and Fleming, 2023;Pakarinen and Huising, 2023;Suddaby, 2014). Specifically, we focus on how management research might be influenced when data are mobilized unreflexively, as is the case for data borrowed from corporations.…”