Contextual Expertise and the Development of Organization and Management Theory

Ali Aslan Gümüsay,John M Amis

doi:10.1111/emre.12434

Abstract

Generating theory from research settings requires researchers to adeptly engage with the social intricacies of the field. They need to develop a contextual understanding by gaining in‐depth insights into the setting, while retaining a critical distance from it. Researchers must practice this along the entire research journey, from site selection, through data collection and analyses, to theory development and explanation. However, contextual expertise has been assumed rather than actively considered as a critical component in organization and management studies. We lay out steps for understanding the nature of contextual expertise, offer systematic advice for research projects and outline methodological practices across the research process to choose, capture, comprehend, convey, and confirm contextual specificities. The growing social complexity of research settings renders the development of contextual expertise increasingly important for the generation of enriched and more diverse theory. It also has implications for organization and management studies as a scientific community.

Highlights

IntroductionWhile contextual expertise has been ignored, taken for granted, or deemed too obvious for consideration, the cases above demonstrate the importance for researchers to be able to cope with the distinct characteristics of the empirical setting
Discussions of the role of those who conduct research on the outcome of their work has centered on researcher involvement and bias, long a staple of philosophical debates across the social sciences (e.g., Kuhn, 1962; Berger and Luckmann, 1967; Louis and Bartunek, 1992; Cunliffe and Karunanayake, 2013; Jones and Bartunek, 2019)
What has not been subject to the same scrutiny, but is at least as important to understanding how theory is developed in empirical management research, is the capacity of investigators to engage with the social complexities of research settings

Summary

Introduction

While contextual expertise has been ignored, taken for granted, or deemed too obvious for consideration, the cases above demonstrate the importance for researchers to be able to cope with the distinct characteristics of the empirical setting. The other two members of the research team were not directly involved in data collection, but as experienced scholars of professional service firms they were able to offer insights into the practices that emerged during the project Without this combination of competent but critical engagement, and in particular without the apprehension of the German and English contexts, this comparative piece of research would have been unable to deliver the level of empirical insight and theoretical extension that was provided. These examples highlight that contextual expertise is not additive but deduced through team interaction and development. In such a commentary on an article by Whiteman and Cooper (2016), the first author mentions the characteristics of the two partners doing the field research with her: one came from the specific regional area and the other was an eminent professor with contextual expertise

Discussion

Conclusion