Understanding Management Research: An Introduction to Epistemology'These sections represent the clearest rendition yet of these subjects, with difficult concepts introduced in a digestible form for the neophytic (or not so neophytic) researcher. Whilst in a book this size not every argument can be presented, there is ample extra material to be found to encourage further engagement... At the end of each chapter, there is a very useful Further Reading section provided by the authors, which gives useful guidelines. I believe to be an extremely useful text, which addresses what has until now been a significant gap in the market. This book will be my first choice in the future for introducing doctoral students of management-related subject to the philosophical underpinning they require for their studies. There is no other text which covers this area so clearly, so succinctly and in language that is readily accessible to a wide range of researcher back-grounds. I can envisage this being a valuable source book to which researchers return again and again in order to deepen their understanding as research projects progress; it certainly provoked some new questions for me. To conclude, an excellent buy' - International Journal of Entrepreneurship and InnovationThis is an invaluable introduction for all students and researchers of management confronting a new research project.Understanding Management Research provides an overview of the principal epistemological debates in social science and how these lead to and are expressed in different ways of conceiving and undertaking organizational research. For researchers and students who are increasingly expected to adopt a reflexive understanding of their own epistemological position, the authors present a concise, accessible guide to the different perspectives available and their implications for research output.All students undertaking empirical research for theses and dissertations will find this book helps them comprehend the key ongoing debates and engage with their own pre-understandings when trying to make sense of management and organizations. |
Contents
Positivist Epistemology The Search for Foundations? | 11 |
Positivism The Management Mainstream? | 38 |
Conventionalist Epistemology The Socialization of Science? | 62 |
Postmodernist Epistemology Relativism Unleashed? | 91 |
Critical Theory and Management The Return | 115 |
Pragmatism and Critical Realism Transcending Descartes | 148 |
Conclusions A More Reflexive Approach towards | 177 |
193 | |
210 | |
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Common terms and phrases
action alternative Alvesson and Willmott analysis approach argues assumptions behaviour Bhaskar Burrell causal chapter cognitive concepts consensus context conventionalist critical ethnography critical management studies critical realism critical theory critique cultural debate deconstruction deployed Descartes discourse dominant empirical empiricism entails epistemic reflexivity epistemological commitments ethnography evaluation example exist experience external reality focus Habermas Hence human ibid ideal speech situation implications incommensurability independent inductive instance interests internal validity interpretative Kuhn Kuhn's language-games logical positivism logical positivists London management research means metanarrative metaphors metaphysical metatheoretical methodology methods Morgan's natural sciences neutral observational language notion objective ontology organizational organizations paradigm particular perspective philosophy Popper position possible postmodern postmodernists practice pragmatic-critical realist pragmatism problems produce qualitative rational reject relationship relativism relativistic role Sage scientific scientists sense social sciences socially constructed structures subjectivist theorists theory of truth theory-neutral observational language thereby understanding validity variables warranted knowledge