The Field of Management's Devotion to Theory: Too Much of a Good Thing?

It is well known that all top journals in management require that all manuscripts contribute to theory. Management's idolization of theory began as an outgrowth of the field's efforts to demonstrate academic worthiness. The fact that the major journals in management require a theoretical c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Academy of Management journal 2007-12, Vol.50 (6), p.1346-1352
Main Author: Hambrick, Donald C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business studies
Management research
Management science
Management theory
Research programmes
Research trends
Scientific publications
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Summary:It is well known that all top journals in management require that all manuscripts contribute to theory. Management's idolization of theory began as an outgrowth of the field's efforts to demonstrate academic worthiness. The fact that the major journals in management require a theoretical contribution in every paper takes an array of subtle, but significant, tolls on the field. The most substantial cost is the absence of certain forms of research that other fields find highly valuable. The leading journals in management should broaden their scope to include papers that do not directly contribute to theory but are nonetheless of great potential consequence. The field needs at least one journal, and perhaps more than one, that is largely devoted to straightforward tests of theories, including replications and extensions.
ISSN:0001-4273
1948-0989
DOI:10.5465/AMJ.2007.28166119