Has Management Studies Lost Its Way? Ideas for More Imaginative and Innovative Research
(2013) In Journal of Management Studies 50(1). p.128-152- Abstract
- Despite the huge increase in the number of management articles published during the three last decades, there is a serious shortage of high-impact research in management studies. We contend that a primary reason behind this paradoxical shortage is the near total dominance of incremental gap-spotting research in management. This domination is even more paradoxical as it is well known that gap-spotting rarely leads to influential theories. We identify three broad and interacting key drivers behind this double paradox: institutional conditions, professional norms, and researchers' identity constructions. We discuss how specific changes in these drivers can reduce the shortage of influential management theories. We also point to two... (More)
- Despite the huge increase in the number of management articles published during the three last decades, there is a serious shortage of high-impact research in management studies. We contend that a primary reason behind this paradoxical shortage is the near total dominance of incremental gap-spotting research in management. This domination is even more paradoxical as it is well known that gap-spotting rarely leads to influential theories. We identify three broad and interacting key drivers behind this double paradox: institutional conditions, professional norms, and researchers' identity constructions. We discuss how specific changes in these drivers can reduce the shortage of influential management theories. We also point to two methodologies that may encourage and facilitate more innovative and imaginative research and revisions of academic norms and identities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3400759
- author
- Alvesson, Mats LU and Sandberg, Joergen
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- interesting theories, problematization, research methods, research, problems, research questions, theory development
- in
- Journal of Management Studies
- volume
- 50
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 128 - 152
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000312649500006
- scopus:84871279718
- ISSN
- 1467-6486
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01070.x
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6ca18a5e-a410-4ba0-b402-d6b7e80ee5ee (old id 3400759)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 09:56:24
- date last changed
- 2022-04-19 20:47:24
@article{6ca18a5e-a410-4ba0-b402-d6b7e80ee5ee,
abstract = {{Despite the huge increase in the number of management articles published during the three last decades, there is a serious shortage of high-impact research in management studies. We contend that a primary reason behind this paradoxical shortage is the near total dominance of incremental gap-spotting research in management. This domination is even more paradoxical as it is well known that gap-spotting rarely leads to influential theories. We identify three broad and interacting key drivers behind this double paradox: institutional conditions, professional norms, and researchers' identity constructions. We discuss how specific changes in these drivers can reduce the shortage of influential management theories. We also point to two methodologies that may encourage and facilitate more innovative and imaginative research and revisions of academic norms and identities.}},
author = {{Alvesson, Mats and Sandberg, Joergen}},
issn = {{1467-6486}},
keywords = {{interesting theories; problematization; research methods; research; problems; research questions; theory development}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{128--152}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Journal of Management Studies}},
title = {{Has Management Studies Lost Its Way? Ideas for More Imaginative and Innovative Research}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01070.x}},
doi = {{10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01070.x}},
volume = {{50}},
year = {{2013}},
}