Theory Building: A Review and Integration

Shepherd, Dean A and Suddaby, Roy ORCID: 0000-0002-9167-9180 (2017) Theory Building: A Review and Integration. JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, 43 (1). pp. 59-86.

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Abstract

Building theories is important for advancing knowledge of management. But it is also a highly challenging task. Although there is a burgeoning literature that offers many theorizing tools, we lack a coherent understanding of how these tools fit together—when to use a particular tool and which combination of tools can be used in the theorizing process. In this article, we organize a systematic review of the literature on theory building in management around the five key elements of a good story: conflict, character, setting, sequence, and plot and arc. In doing so, we hope to provide a richer understanding of how specific theorizing tools facilitate aspects of the theorizing process and offer a clearer big picture of the process of building important theories. We also offer pragmatic empirical theorizing as an approach that uses quantitative empirical findings to stimulate theorizing.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	creativity, grounded theory, philosophy of science, entrepreneurship theory
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Management
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	06 Nov 2023 08:24
Last Modified:	06 Nov 2023 08:24
DOI:	10.1177/0149206316647102
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3176641