Type of course

Admission requirements

Maximum number of participants is 20. The course is open for PhD fellows attending programs at one of the Norwegian SCANCOR partner institutions. If there are more than 20 PhD students from Norwegian SCANCOR partner institutions, the students who have studied the longest will be given preference.

If there are fewer than 20 applicants, PhD students from other Scandinavian SCANCOR partner institutions may be accepted.

Application code: 9305

Application deadline: 01.05.24

Course content

The Role of Theory on Organizational Research.

There is an increasing scholarly interest in the role of theory in organizational research. It is expressed in several ways, for example in an increasing number of special issues in top journals on the subject, and in a growth of new journals that specialize in publishing theory papers. A very evident and consequential expression of the theory turn in organizational research is that A, B (and sometimes also C) journals increasingly demand scholars to make clear theoretical contributions to have their papers accepted and published. Thus, one of the most frequently given reasons for a rejection decision is that the quality of the theoretical contribution does not meet journals and reviewers’ requirements.

This course is designed with a view to provide scholarly advice to students about reasonable ways to cope with the theory challenges in their Ph.D.- projects. The course’ content zooms in on three broad themes and questions:

• Theory quality. What is theory in organizational research and what characterizes a good versus a less good theoretical contribution?
• The making of theories. This theme highlights three different routes to new theories of organizations:

• The making of theories out of metaphors.
• The making of theories based on gap spotting.
• When good theory grows out of good empirical research.

These different routes will be illustrated with through concrete cases of theory-making attempts.

• Critical views. This theme put forward critical views and arguments from debates about the theory turn in organizational research. Among critics to be highlighted are these:

• Do we really need flows of new theories in our discipline? Has the theory turn led to over-theorization in organizational research?
• The rigor-relevance debate: There is a strong notion within the field that there is a gap between organizational research and its relevance for practice - and that it must be closed. The theme highlights the distinct positions and arguments in this debate.

Objectives of the course

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has:

Knowledge of what theory is in organizational research and different ways (routes) of designing theories and theoretical contributions.

Skills

The student is able to/can:

Take a critical approach to the question of theoretical contributions in their own research field and, and on the basis of that, identify and formulate their own contribution.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods