Research Note: The Incompatibility of Comparisons: Comparative Studies of Organizations and the Cumulation of Scientific Knowledge

Abstract

If comparability is a prerequisite to statements about similarities/dissimilarities between objects, then the compatibility of comparative analyses is a prerequisite for a cumulative picture of the findings of many studies which are treated jointly. This issue is important because, although no single study solves all of the problems of organizational sociology, the results of several such studies together could significantly contribute to the development of theory. However, due to mutual incompatibility, the cumulation of scientific knowledge of organizations does not occur to the extent that the growing number of empirical studies would imply. This article presents some preliminary exemplifications of a technique for detecting incompatibilities. It is suggested that a satisfactory solution to the problem of incompatibility may be found not in the standardization of research methods but in the translatability of research concepts at a theoretical level.