Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
The Structure of Theory and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions: What Constitutes an Advance in Theory?

The Structure of Theory and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions: What Constitutes an Advance in Theory?

Steven E. Wallis
Copyright: © 2011 |Pages: 25
ISBN13: 9781609605872|ISBN10: 160960587X|EISBN13: 9781609605889
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch721
Cite Chapter Cite Chapter

MLA

Wallis, Steven E. "The Structure of Theory and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions: What Constitutes an Advance in Theory?." Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2011, pp. 2177-2201. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch721

APA

Wallis, S. E. (2011). The Structure of Theory and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions: What Constitutes an Advance in Theory?. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications (pp. 2177-2201). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch721

Chicago

Wallis, Steven E. "The Structure of Theory and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions: What Constitutes an Advance in Theory?." In Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 2177-2201. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch721

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite

Abstract

From a Kuhnian perspective, a paradigmatic revolution in management science will significantly improve our understanding of the business world and show practitioners (including managers and consultants) how to become much more effective. Without an objective measure of revolution, however, the door is open for spurious claims of revolutionary advance. Such claims cause confusion among scholars and practitioners and reduce the legitimacy of university management programs. Metatheoretical methods, based on insights from systems theory, provide new tools for analyzing the structure of theory. Propositional analysis is one such method that may be applied to objectively quantify the formal robustness of management theory. In this chapter, I use propositional analysis to analyze different versions of a theory as it evolves across 1,500 years of history. This analysis shows how the increasing robustness of theory anticipates the arrival of revolution and suggests an innovative and effective way for scholars and practitioners to develop and evaluate theories of management.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.