THEORY DEVELOPMENT AS OBSERVATIONAL PUZZLE-SOLVING
Donald C. Hambrick
SMEAL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
OUTLINE
SMEAL College of Business
2
OUTLINE
1. De-Mystifying Theory
• Q and A
SMEAL College of Business
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OUTLINE
1. De-Mystifying Theory
• Q and A
2. Theory Development as Observational Puzzle-Solving:
Some Personal Experiences
• Q and A
SMEAL College of Business
4
OUTLINE
1. De-Mystifying Theory
• Q and A
2. Theory Development as Observational Puzzle-Solving:
Some Personal Experiences
• Q and A
3. Theory Development From Rich Qualitative Data
• Q and A
SMEAL College of Business
5
OUTLINE
1. De-Mystifying Theory
• Q and A
2. Theory Development as Observational Puzzle-Solving:
Some Personal Experiences
• Q and A
3. Theory Development From Rich Qualitative Data
• Q and A
4. Open Discussion
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
What is “theory”?
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
What is “theory”?
• The scientist’s job: to search for and explain patterns
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
What is “theory”?
• The scientist’s job: to search for and explain patterns
• Let’s adopt Dubin’s classic perspective
X
SMEAL College of Business
Y
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
What is “theory”?
• The scientist’s job: to search for and explain patterns
• Let’s adopt Dubin’s classic perspective
X
Why?
SMEAL College of Business
Y
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
What is “theory”?
• The scientist’s job: to search for and explain patterns
• Let’s adopt Dubin’s classic perspective
X
Why?
SMEAL College of Business
theory!
Y
11
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
What is “theory”?
• The scientist’s job: to search for and explain patterns
• Let’s adopt Dubin’s classic perspective
X
Why
theory!
Y
• Or, as Kaplan said, “Theory explains why empirical
patterns were observed or are expected to be observed.
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
Equity Theory
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
Equity Theory
One’s Perception
of Being Overpaid
(or Underpaid)
Relative to One’s
Contribution
SMEAL College of Business
Increased
(or Decreased)
Effort
15
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
Equity Theory
One’s Perception
of Being Overpaid
(or Underpaid)
Relative to One’s
Contribution
SMEAL College of Business
Increased
(or Decreased)
Effort
16
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
Equity Theory
One’s Perception
of Being Overpaid
(or Underpaid)
Relative to One’s
Contribution
Increased
(or Decreased)
Effort
Agency Theory (as applied to corporate governance)
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
Equity Theory
One’s Perception
of Being Overpaid
(or Underpaid)
Relative to One’s
Contribution
Increased
(or Decreased)
Effort
Agency Theory (as applied to corporate governance)
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
SMEAL College of Business
Bad
outcomes
for the
owners
18
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
A couple examples:
Equity Theory
One’s Perception
of Being Overpaid
(or Underpaid)
Relative to One’s
Contribution
Increased
(or Decreased)
Effort
Agency Theory (as applied to corporate governance)
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
SMEAL College of Business
Bad
outcomes
for the
owners
19
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
So, what does it mean to make a “theoretical contribution”?
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
So, what does it mean to make a “theoretical contribution”?
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
SMEAL College of Business
Bad
outcomes
for the
owner
21
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
So, what does it mean to make a “theoretical contribution”?
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
Bad
outcomes
for the
owner
• develop a brand-new theory
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
So, what does it mean to make a “theoretical contribution”?
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
Bad
outcomes
for the
owner
• develop a brand-new theory
• add to an existing theory
• clarify the operative mechanisms (mediators)
• introduce moderators
• add new concepts
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
So, what does it mean to make a “theoretical contribution”?
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
Bad
outcomes
for the
owner
• develop a brand-new theory
• add to an existing theory
• clarify the operative mechanisms (mediators)
• introduce moderators
• add new concepts
• identify or elaborate on the implications of the theory
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
So, what does it mean to make a “theoretical contribution”?
When owners
hire others
to manage
their firms…
Bad
outcomes
for the
owner
• develop a brand-new theory
• add to an existing theory
• clarify the operative mechanisms (mediators)
• introduce moderators
• add new concepts
• identify or elaborate on the implications of the theory
• “subtract from” the theory
• identify important boundary conditions
• logically argue or demonstrate that the theory is weak/wrong
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
• generality
• including the scope of its implications
• a very encompassing theory
qualifies as a paradigm
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
• generality
• including the scope of its implications
• a very encompassing theory
qualifies as a paradigm
• simplicity
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
• generality
• including the scope of its implications
• a very encompassing theory
qualifies as a paradigm
• simplicity
• accuracy
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
• generality
• including the scope of its implications
• a very encompassing theory
qualifies as a paradigm
• simplicity
• accuracy
• surprise
SMEAL College of Business
30
DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
• generality
• including the scope of its implications
• a very encompassing theory
qualifies as a paradigm
• simplicity
• accuracy
• surprise
When Sutton and Staw refer to “strong theory,” what do they mean?
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
How do we assess the “quality” of a theoretical contribution?
• generality
• including the scope of its implications
• a very encompassing theory
qualifies as a paradigm
• simplicity
• accuracy
• surprise
When Sutton and Staw refer to “strong theory,” what do they mean?
• clarity of argumentation
• logical consistency
SMEAL College of Business
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DE-MYSTIFYING THEORY
Questions?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Where do theoretical ideas not come from?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Where do theoretical ideas not come from?
• reading in isolation
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Where do theoretical ideas not come from?
• reading in isolation
• thinking in isolation
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Where do theoretical ideas not come from?
• reading in isolation
• thinking in isolation
• intentions to theorize
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Where do theoretical ideas not come from?
• reading in isolation
• thinking in isolation
• intentions to theorize
Instead, theoretical ideas “emerge” from observational puzzle-solving:
“Why is it…?”
“Have you ever noticed…?”
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Where do theoretical ideas not come from?
• reading in isolation
• thinking in isolation
• intentions to theorize
Instead, theoretical ideas “emerge” from observational puzzle-solving:
“Why is it…?”
“Have you ever noticed…?”
Namely, to develop theory, you need data!
• aggregate, large-N data
• fine, rich, small-N data
• accumulation of data – via experience
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Let me illustrate with three of my successes in theory/concept
development:
• Upper echelons theory
• Managerial discretion
• Behavioral integration (within top management teams, or TMTs)
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Upper echelons theory:
Executive
Characteristics
SMEAL College of Business
Strategic
Choice
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Upper echelons theory:
Executive
Characteristics
SMEAL College of Business
Strategic
Choice
(more accurately a “framework”)
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Upper echelons theory:
Executive
Characteristics
Strategic
Choice
(more accurately a “framework”)
Originally (in 1975) a term paper for a PhD seminar
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Upper echelons theory:
Executive
Characteristics
Strategic
Choice
(more accurately a “framework”)
Originally (in 1975) a term paper for a PhD seminar
The data that puzzled me: Why does Fortune magazine devote space to
reporting the detailed demographic
backgrounds of 500 CEOs every year?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Upper echelons theory:
Executive
Characteristics
Strategic
Choice
(more accurately a “framework”)
Originally (in 1975) a term paper for a PhD seminar
The data that puzzled me: Why does Fortune magazine devote space to
reporting the detailed demographic
backgrounds of 500 CEOs every year?
Later, (in 1983), a discussion with my PhD student Phyllis Mason
The data that puzzled me: I wonder if I’m having any effect on my MBA students?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Upper echelons theory:
Executive
Characteristics
Strategic
Choice
(more accurately a “framework”)
Originally (in 1975) a term paper for a PhD seminar
The data that puzzled me: Why does Fortune magazine devote space to
reporting the detailed demographic
backgrounds of 500 CEOs every year?
Later, (in 1983), a discussion with my PhD student Phyllis Mason
The data that puzzled me: I wonder if I’m having any effect on my MBA students?
I wonder if executives who have MBAs are any
different from those without MBAs?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Hambrick & Mason (AMR, 1984)
was a happy confluence of three things
SMEAL College of Business
a fun discussion with Phyllis Mason in 1983
recollection of the 1975 paper
insights from my 1979 dissertation on
environmental scanning
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
The eventual Upper Echelons model:
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Managerial Discretion
(a concept, not a theory)
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Managerial Discretion
(a concept, not a theory)
• initially presented by Hambrick and Finkelstein, ROB, 1987
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Managerial Discretion
(a concept, not a theory)
• initially presented by Hambrick and Finkelstein, ROB, 1987
• definition: latitude of managerial action
(Or, how much choice does a manager have?)
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Managerial Discretion
(a concept, not a theory)
• initially presented by Hambrick and Finkelstein, ROB, 1987
• definition: latitude of managerial action
(Or, how much choice does a manager have?)
• introduced as a way to bridge, or reconcile, opposing views
about how much influence executives have over organizational
outcomes.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Of course, managerial discretion has major implications for
upper echelons theory:
Managerial
Discretion
Executive
Characteristics
SMEAL College of Business
Strategic
Choice
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did we get the idea of managerial discretion?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did we get the idea of managerial discretion?
The data that puzzled us: Why does CEO pay differ so greatly
between different industries?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did we get the idea of managerial discretion?
The data that puzzled us: Why does CEO pay differ so greatly
between different industries?
But also, from years before, my puzzlement about the CEO
of the Penn State University Credit Union…
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did we get the idea of managerial discretion?
The data that puzzled us: Why does CEO pay differ so greatly
between different industries?
But also, from years before, my puzzlement about the CEO
of the Penn State University Credit Union…
Front
Door
CEO glass
cubicle
Tellers/clerks
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Behavioral Integration
(a concept, not a theory)
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Behavioral Integration
(a concept, not a theory)
• initially presented by Hambrick, ROB, 1994
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Behavioral Integration
(a concept, not a theory)
• initially presented by Hambrick, ROB, 1994
• definition: the degree to which members of a TMT engage in
mutual and collective interaction
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Behavioral Integration
(a concept, not a theory)
• initially presented by Hambrick, ROB, 1994
• definition: the degree to which members of a TMT engage in
mutual and collective interaction
• of course, behavioral integration has major implications for
upper echelons theory, particularly if the TMT is the unit of
analysis
Behavioral
Integration
TMT
Characteristics
SMEAL College of Business
Strategic
Choice
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did the concept of behavioral integration come from?
The data that puzzled me:
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did the concept of behavioral integration come from?
The data that puzzled me:
• In field interviews, some CEOs needed a lot of clarification
when I started asking about their “top management teams.”
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did the concept of behavioral integration come from?
The data that puzzled me:
• In field interviews, some CEOs needed a lot of clarification
when I started asking about their “top management teams.”
• Then, when I started talking to TMT members, and
watching them in action, it became clear that some
senior groups have very few “team” properties.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
So, where did the concept of behavioral integration come from?
The data that puzzled me:
• In field interviews, some CEOs needed a lot of clarification
when I started asking about their “top management teams.”
• Then, when I started talking to TMT members, and
watching them in action, it became clear that some
senior groups have very few “team” properties.
“Team? How do you define “team”? When I think of a team,
I think of interaction, give-and-take, and shared purpose. Here,
we’re a collection of strong players but hardly a “team.” We
rarely meet as a team – rarely see each other, in fact. We don’t
particularly share the same views. I wouldn’t say we actually
work at cross-purposes, but a lot of self-centered behavior
occurs. Where’s the “team” in all this?”
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Of course, I cannot begin to describe the many wonderful
theoretical ideas I have not had.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Of course, I cannot begin to describe the many wonderful
theoretical ideas I have not had.
All I know is what’s worked for me:
Theory development as observational puzzle-solving
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT:
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Questions?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
“It is the intimate connection with empirical reality that permits the
development of a testable, relevant, and valid theory.”
Glaser and Strauss
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
“It is the intimate connection with empirical reality that permits the
development of a testable, relevant, and valid theory.”
Glaser and Strauss
Want to come up with theoretical ideas?
Get inside organizations. Talk to managers and workers.
Think about what you hear and see.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
“It is the intimate connection with empirical reality that permits the
development of a testable, relevant, and valid theory.”
Glaser and Strauss
Want to come up with theoretical ideas?
Get inside organizations. Talk to managers and workers.
Think about what you hear and see.
Want to come up with really good theoretical ideas?
Get inside organizations. Talk to managers and workers.
Think about what you hear and see.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
(e.g., Eisenhardt, Burgelman, Gioia)
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
(e.g., Eisenhardt, Burgelman, Gioia)
It can help you understand your phenomena of interest.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
(e.g., Eisenhardt, Burgelman, Gioia)
It can help you understand your phenomena of interest.
(Li, Xin, Tsui and Hambrick – IJV leadership teams)
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
(e.g., Eisenhardt, Burgelman, Gioia)
It can help you understand your phenomena of interest.
(Li, Xin, Tsui and Hambrick – IJV leadership teams)
It can help guide the design of a quantitative study.
SMEAL College of Business
78
THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
(e.g., Eisenhardt, Burgelman, Gioia)
It can help you understand your phenomena of interest.
(Li, Xin, Tsui and Hambrick – IJV leadership teams)
It can help guide the design of a quantitative study.
It can help you make sense of, or interpret, quantitative results.
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
In-depth qualitative research can be useful in several ways:
It can lead directly to a theory.
(e.g., Eisenhardt, Burgelman, Gioia)
It can help you understand your phenomena of interest.
(Li, Xin, Tsui and Hambrick – IJV leadership teams)
It can help guide the design of a quantitative study.
It can help you make sense of, or interpret, quantitative results.
“We uncover all kinds of relationships in our hard data,
but it is only through the use of soft data that we are able
to explain them.”
Mintzberg
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
When going into the field, you face a
delicate balance…
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
When going into the field, you face a
delicate balance…
Open-mindedness, no pre-conceived ideas:
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
When going into the field, you face a
delicate balance…
Open-mindedness, no pre-conceived ideas:
“…case research is begun as close as possible to the ideal of
no theory under consideration and no hypotheses to test.”
Eisenhardt
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
When going into the field, you face a
delicate balance…
Open-mindedness, no pre-conceived ideas:
“…case research is begun as close as possible to the ideal of
no theory under consideration and no hypotheses to test.”
Eisenhardt
vs.
Absorptive capacity, a readiness to comprehend
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
When going into the field, you face a
delicate balance…
Open-mindedness, no pre-conceived ideas:
“…case research is begun as close as possible to the ideal of
no theory under consideration and no hypotheses to test.”
Eisenhardt
vs.
Absorptive capacity, a readiness to comprehend
∙ study relevant literatures
∙ study press accounts, public information
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
In your field research, look for big themes, but also be alert to
small cues.
• Who is most willing to talk to you?
• How energetic and spontaneous do they seem to be?
• How informed/knowledgeable do they seem to be?
• Do all your interviewees describe things the same way?
SMEAL College of Business
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
In your field research, look for big themes, but also be alert to
small cues.
• Who is most willing to talk to you?
• How energetic and spontaneous do they seem to be?
• How informed/knowledgeable do they seem to be?
• Do all your interviewees describe things the same way?
A couple examples:
Li, Xin, Tsui, Hambrick
interviews of IJV team leaders
SMEAL College of Business
Li and Hambrick’s
concept of factional groups
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
In your field research, look for big themes, but also be alert to
small cues.
• Who is most willing to talk to you?
• How energetic and spontaneous do they seem to be?
• How informed/knowledgeable do they seem to be?
• Do all your interviewees describe things the same way?
A couple examples:
Li, Xin, Tsui, Hambrick
interviews of IJV team leaders
Li and Hambrick’s
concept of factional groups
Interviews of CEOs
about their TMTs
Research on
chief operating officers (COOs)
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Without a COO:
CEO
Division
GM
Division
GM
Division
GM
SMEAL College of Business
CFO
General
Counsel
VP,
HR
VP,
R&D
VP
Corporate
Development
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Without a COO:
CEO
Division
GM
Division
GM
Division
GM
CFO
General
Counsel
VP,
HR
VP,
R&D
VP
Corporate
Development
With a COO:
CEO
CFO
General
Counsel
Division
GM
SMEAL College of Business
Division
GM
COO
VP,
HR
Division
GM
VP,
Corporate
Development
VP,
R&D
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
Be very alert to the performance conditions, or recent track
record, of the organization(s) you are studying.
• Are you being told about what works, what doesn’t work,
or what?
• The performance context can greatly color your
interviewees’ remarks.
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Some suggestions:
Be very alert to the performance conditions, or recent track
record, of the organization(s) you are studying.
• Are you being told about what works, what doesn’t work,
or what?
• The performance context can greatly color your
interviewees’ remarks.
Also, while far less feasible, try to comprehend the lenses, or
biases, of your individual interviewees.
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Eisenhardt’s Table 1:
Process of Building Theory from Case Study Research
Step
Getting Started
Selecting Cases
Crafting Instruments
and Protocols
Entering the Field
Analyzing Data
Shaping Hypotheses
Enfolding Literature
Reaching Closure
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THEORY DEVELOPMENT
FROM RICH QUALITATIVE DATA
Questions?
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SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
When it comes to theory development,
don’t be paralyzed by holding yourself to too high a standard.
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SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
When it comes to theory development,
don’t be paralyzed by holding yourself to too high a standard.
We need “big theories” and “small theories.”
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SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
When it comes to theory development,
don’t be paralyzed by holding yourself to too high a standard.
We need “big theories” and “small theories.”
“Some social scientists yearn for a Theory That Sweeps Away
All Others. We think it is bad to reserve the word theory to
mean only Good Theory or Grand Theory or Unassailable
Theory. We would like writers to feel free to use theory
whenever they are theorizing.”
Runkel and Runkel
SMEAL College of Business
98
SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
When it comes to theory development,
don’t be paralyzed by holding yourself to too high a standard.
We need “big theories” and “small theories.”
“Some social scientists yearn for a Theory That Sweeps Away
All Others. We think it is bad to reserve the word theory to
mean only Good Theory or Grand Theory or Unassailable
Theory. We would like writers to feel free to use theory
whenever they are theorizing.”
Runkel and Runkel
We need thoroughly developed and “half-baked” theories.
SMEAL College of Business
99
SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
When it comes to theory development,
don’t be paralyzed by holding yourself to too high a standard.
We need “big theories” and “small theories.”
“Some social scientists yearn for a Theory That Sweeps Away
All Others. We think it is bad to reserve the word theory to
mean only Good Theory or Grand Theory or Unassailable
Theory. We would like writers to feel free to use theory
whenever they are theorizing.”
Runkel and Runkel
We need thoroughly developed and “half-baked” theories.
“Products of the theorizing process seldom emerge as fullblown theories.”
Weick
SMEAL College of Business
100
Questions?
About anything!!
SMEAL College of Business
101