Building New Management Theory by Integrating Processes and Products of Thought

Abstract

This article advocates that more strategy researchers and managers become engaged in aninteractive, reciprocating research process, the objective of which is building pragmatic strategic management theory. To this purpose, the authors suggest how researchers and managers may engage in theory-building processes in which generalized theories of researchers and contextual theories of managers interactively evolve in a new model of double-loop learning. In particular, the authors suggest the following sequence of activities: (a) Researchers should propose integrative theories thought to be generally applicable; researchers and managers should then consider applicability of strategy theory to specific competitive contexts. (b) This strategic logic is then formulated by managers and applied to specific competitive contexts. (c) The market response leads to refining or to redefining the firm’s strategic logic. (d) The firm’s experience in formulating and in testing strategic logics inform researchers’ efforts to develop new strategy theory.