The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science is in the enviable position of being a go-to journal for many readers seeking useable insights for solving practical problems in managing modern organizations. A perennial source of such knowledge has been case studies, but case studies have been treated as questionable sources of widely applicable knowledge because they have been assumed to be idiosyncratic and to lack adequate “scientific” rigor. In this brief article, I argue for using a methodological approach to studying single cases that addresses both these thorny problems.
BansalP.CorleyK. G. (2011). The coming of age of qualitative research: Embracing the diversity of qualitative methods. Academy of Management Journal, 54(2), 233-237. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.60262792
2.
BurrellG.MorganG. (1979). Sociological paradigms and organisational analysis. Routledge.
3.
ClarkS. M.GioiaD. A.KetchenD.ThomasJ. B. (2010). Transitional identity as a facilitator of organizational identity change during a merger. Administrative Science Quarterly, 55(3), 397-438. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2010.55.3.397
4.
CorleyK. G.GioiaD. A. (2004). Identity ambiguity and change in the wake of a corporate spin-off. Administrative Science Quarterly, 49(2), 173-208. https://doi.org/10.2307/4131471
5.
CorleyK. G.GioiaD. A. (2011). Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a theoretical contribution?Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 12-32. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.0486
6.
DuttonJ. E.JacksonS. E. (1987). Categorizing strategic issues: Links to organizational action. Academy of Management Review, 12(1), 76-90. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1987.4306483
7.
GioiaD. A. (2004). A renaissance self: Prompting personal and professional revitalization. In FrostP. J.StableinR. E. (Eds.), Renewing research practice: Scholars’ journeys (pp. 97-114). Stanford University Press.
8.
GioiaD. A.ChittipeddiK. (1991). Sensemaking and sensegiving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management Journal, 12(6), 433-448. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250120604
9.
GioiaD. A.CorleyK. G.HamiltonA. L. (2013). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428112452151
10.
GioiaD. A.PriceK. P.HamiltonA. L.ThomasJ. B. (2010). Forging an identity: An insider-outsider study of processes involved in organizational identity formation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 55(1), 1-46. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2010.55.1.1
HambrickD. C. (2007). The field of management’s devotion to theory: Too much of a good thing?Academy of Management Journal, 50(6), 1346-1352. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.28166119
NagR.CorleyK. G.GioiaD. A. (2007). The intersection of organizational identity, knowledge, and practice: Attempting strategic change via knowledge grafting. Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 821-847. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.26279173
15.
PrattM. G. (2008). Fitting oval pegs into round holes: Tensions in evaluating and publishing qualitative research in top-tier North American journals. Organizational Research Methods, 11(3), 481-509. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428107303349
16.
ProustM. (1923). La prisonnière (Vol. 5 of Remembrance of things past, Scott MoncrieffC. K., Trans.). Project Gutenberg Australia.
17.
SchwarzG.StensakerI. (2014). Time to take off the theoretical straightjacket and (re)introduce phenomenon-driven research. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 50(4), 478-501. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886314549919
18.
StraussA.CorbinJ. (1998). Basics of qualitative research. Sage.
19.
TracyS. J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “big tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Quality Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121
20.
ThomasK. W.TymonW. G.Jr. (1982). Necessary properties of relevant research: Lessons from recent criticisms of the organizational sciences. Academy of Management Review, 7(3), 345-352. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1982.4285308
