Epistemological foundations of management theory and research methodology

Abstract

Beginning in the 1980s, some management researchers began to question the hegemonic position of the positivist epistemology in management and organizational studies. The “good old” scientific research methodology in management and organizational studies which is characterized by careful sampling, precise measurement, and sophisticated design and analysis in the test of hypotheses derived from tentative general laws. Examining the epistemological foundations of management theory and research methodology, this paper explores the roots of positivist epistemology, its evolution, basic presuppositions, and general assumptions through the development of three paradigms – the idea of social science, the unity of science movement, and the behavioral science revolution.