theory building in business and management studies by professor dan remenyi [email protected] 10...

Theory Building in Business and Management Studies

ByProfessor Dan [email protected]

19 April 2023Theory Building 1

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Theory building or generation

•A theoretical contribution is essential for a doctorate

•It is at the core of the research and if the theory is not rigorously developed then the dissertation may well be fatally flawed

•Theory building and rhetoric development is one of the most demanding aspects of a doctorate


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Theoretical knowledge

•Research degree candidates only need to make a very small/modest contribution

•But the contribution needs to be interesting/relevant – someone needs to care


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Theory

•Theoretic knowledge offers an explanation of a phenomenon or a situation so that there is a fuller understanding of its components and how it works.

•Theoretic knowledge and practical knowledge are sometimes contrasted and are presented as poles apart. However they are frequently similar to conjoint twins. Theory informs practice and practice informs theory


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The problem

•Everyone knows that the social sciences are hyper-complex. They are inherently far more difficult than physics and chemistry, and as a result they, not physics and chemistry, should be called the hard sciences. They just seem easier, because we can talk with other human beings but not with photons, gluons, and sulfide radicals. Wilson E, 1998, Consilience, The Unity of Science, p199, Vantage books, NY


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How certain can we be?

•In science, nothing is certain, and nothing can be proven, even if scientific endeavour provides us with the most dependable information about the world to which we can aspire. In the heart of the world of hard science, modernity floats free. Giddens A, The consequences of Modernity, Polity Press, p39, Cambridge, 1990.


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Science?•It is only scientific if it is testable is a

common view. •But what is testable?•Do we need to be able to put something in

a laboratory setting to test it? If this were the case we could not test much of Einstein! We could not test Darwin or Freud!


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The How statement

•A theory is primarily a how statements. It may also be a why statement as well but it is not always the case

•In general we are very short on Why explanations!


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Theory at work

•The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. John Maynard Keynes, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, ch. 24, “Concluding Notes” (1936).


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The greater the simplicity of its premises•A theory is the more impressive the

greater the simplicity of its premises, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended is its area of applicability…… It [thermodynamics] is the only physical theory of universal content concerning which I am convinced that, within the framework of its basic concepts, it will never be overthrown. From 'Autobiographical Notes' in Albert Einstein: Philosopher Scientist edited

by E.A. Schilpp (Harper & Row, New York, 1959).


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Instrumentalism• For a theory to predict something 'in principle' means that

the predictions follow logically from the theory………………… Being able to predict things or to describe them, however accurately, is not at all the same thing as understanding them……….. Facts cannot be understood just by being summarized in a formula, any more than by being listed on paper or committed to memory. They can be understood only by being explained. Fortunately, our best theories embody deep explanations as well as accurate predictions……. Yet some philosophers and even some scientists disparage the role of explanation in science…… They consider that any consistent explanation that a theory may give for its predictions is as good as any other - or as good as no explanation at all - so long as the predictions are true. This view is called instrumentalism (because it says that a theory is no more than an 'instrument' for making predictions). Deutsch D, 1998, The Fabric of Reality, p2-3, London


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Recognising a theory

•A theory is not a list•A theory is not a diagram•A theory is not data nor a correlation

•Remember the ‘Everyone is entitled to a theoretical conjecture ……. but it needs to be grounded’. This is not the same thing as Grounded Theory.


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What does a theory look like?•In the social science academic

environment a theory needs to address:-▫What’s involved – the variables, factors, issues,

constructs▫How are they involved – the relationships▫Who is interested – the stakeholders▫Where and when can it be applied – the context▫Why does it work (?) – the explanation (?)


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What involved?

•What factors or variables are involved with your theory? Remember Certeris Paribus.

•Be comprehensive enough to be useful but remember parsimony……Occam’s Razor

•After a ‘few’ variables models or theories become flaky.

•Usually easier to take variables out than to include new one later.


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How are they related?

•How are the factor or variables related?•Draw diagrams to explain if you can.•The more complex the theory the more

diagrams are usually useful.•It might be useful to express the

relationships in symbols which may become formal models


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Now it is testable!

•This should leave you with a testable theory.

•It is usually to talk about testing hypotheses, empirical generalisations or even propositions

•The principle of Falsification needs to be used

•Can only “not reject” !


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Most theories

•Most ‘theories’ are never tested – they are rejected out of hand because they contain bad explanations

•Most theories are replaced by better explanations and not by falsification.


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Why does it work?

•It is not always possible to offer a full explanation of the ‘why’.

•But the more explanation of ‘why’ the more likely the theory is likely to be excepted.

•The why explanation need to resonate! If they are not plausible they are unlikely to be correct.


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A useful theory!

•Who are the stakeholders?•Where will the theory make a difference

to them?•When can they use it?


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Limits of theory

•How far can the theory take us. Every theory has limits and no theory ever supports all the observable evidence


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Hard Reality

•…… we may start by pointing out that no single theory ever agrees with all the known facts in its domain. And the trouble is not created by rumours, or by the results of sloppy procedure. It is by experiment and measurement of the highest precision and reliability. Feyerabend P,

Against Method, p39, 3rd Ed, Verso, London


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Reflective Exercise -1

•Write down what you think to be the most important theory in your own field of study

•How would you test this theory?•If you test it and you found contradictory

evidence what would you do?


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Ontological position• Albert Einstein was firmly committed to a world-

view based on three tenets: realism, the belief that the physical world consists of objects which exist "from their own side," i.e., independently of consciousness; locality, the assumption that an event in one place can affect an event in another place only if there is enough time for a signal traveling no faster than the speed of light to propagate from one to the other; and determinism, the belief that every present or future event can be fully accounted for as the effect of past causes. This last tenet was encapsulated in Einstein's phrase "God does not play dice."Malin S, 2001, Nature Loves to Hide, p 1, OUP, NY


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When does theory work?

•A one-to-one relationship between a causal power and the pattern of events it prescribes obtains only under conditions of closure in which all interfering variables are under control (e.g. experiments). Tsoukas H, 1994, What is Management? An Outline of a Metatheory, British Journal of Management, Vol. 5, 289-301


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The Law of Unintended Consequences• Unintended consequences are situations where an action

results in an outcome that is not (or not only) what is intended. The unintended results may be foreseen or unforeseen, but they should be the logical or likely results of the action. For example, it is often conjectured that if the Treaty of Versailles had not imposed such harsh conditions on Germany, World War II would not have occurred. As such, war was an unintended consequence of the Treaty of Versailles.

• The Law of Unintended Consequences has a feeble linguistic claim on the term "law". It is hardly a scientific law; even Murphy's law and natural law claim specific outcomes with some certainty. But this term persists as a solemn warning against certain disorder, that almost all human actions have at least one unintended consequence: "There shall be some unexpected result." In other words, each cause has more than one effect, and will include unforeseen effects. Less of a law or rule itself, it is more a call to rulers and law makers to beware.


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How to use the theory?•The owl was the wisest of animals. A

centipede with 99 sore feet came to him seeking advice. 'Walk for two weeks one inch above the ground; the air under your feet and the lack of pressure will cure you,' said the owl. 'How am I to do that?' asked the centipede. 'I have solved your conceptual problem, do not bother me with the trivia concerning implementation,' replied the owl. Shubik M, A Game-Theoretical Approach to Political Economy, The MIT Press, USA,

1988.


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What is a dissertation?

• A document of up to 80,000 word which demonstrate that something of value has been added to the body of knowledge and that a high level of scholarship has been achieved• How does one demonstrate that something of

value has been added to the body of knowledge • The research candidate has to argue that this

has been achieved

What is an argument?

•An argument is a series of statements which are designed to persuade someone of something by providing appropriate evidence and rationale. There are various types of evidence which include, data, authority and logical inference.

The argument is one of the key issues for establishing relevance and rigor

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A compelling argument

•Arguments about how something developed

•Arguments about how something works or is constituted

•Arguments about how social phenomena compare

•Arguments about causation and prediction Mason J, 2002, Qualitative Researching, p176, Sage, London

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How to develop an argument• Open up the topic• State what the issues are• List the factors, concepts or variables• Decide how to illustrate them either by numeric,

diagrammatic or narrative data• How are they linked if at all?• State the different ways of viewing these issues• What perspective is preferred and why?• What evidence is there to support this preference?• Are there any potential problems with this perspective?• If so how can they be overcome?• Conclusion/s

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Bases of argument -01• Arguing evidentially ('I can make this argument

because I can show you the relevant evidence'.) If this is your argument, you will be concerned to demonstrate that you have marshaled and assembled your evidence carefully and appropriately. You will need to be clear about the basis on which you suppose your data constitute evidence.

• Arguing interpretively or narratively ('I can make this argument because I can show you that my interpretation or my narrative is meaningful or reasonable'.) If this is your argument, you will be concerned to show that your interpretation is sensitive, appropriately nuanced, and valid. Mason J, 2002, Qualitative Researching, p178, Sage, London

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Bases of argument -02• Arguing evocatively or illustratively ('I can make this

argument because I can evoke understanding or empathy in you, or because I can provide a meaningful illustration.') If this is your argument, you will aim to get your audience to feel or understand experientially or by illustration whatever it is you are seeking to convey. Evocation can take text or non-text based forms.• Arguing reflexively or multi-vocally ('I can make this argument because I can make you aware of a meaningful range of perspectives, experiences and stand points (view-points), including my own.') If this is your argument, you will be seeking to show a sensitivity to a range of interpretations and voices in your data, and a willingness to critique and question your own as well as those of others. Mason J, 2002, Qualitative Researching, p178, Sage, London

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Write an argument or two!•The importance of a university education is

that, despite its cost, it offers an unparalleled opportunity to improve an individuals life chances.

•And/or• I would prefer to use a quantitative approach

to my research because………• I would prefer to use a qualitative approach

to my research because………•Monty Python and the argument

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjCqjzbvJY

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theory building in business and management studies by professor dan remenyi [email protected] 10...

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