The Meaning of an Anthropological Approach for Management Studies: Beyond “Clinical” and “Scientific” Knowledge

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the meaning of an anthropological approach with a focus on methodological study for management theory (including the theory of business administration). We begin with a brief overview of the history of management theory and then focus on two methodologies based on “scientific” and “clinical” knowledge. The difference between scientific and clinical knowledge is that the first is theoretical knowledge comprised of verifiable and reproducible propositions, but the second is knowledge of theory as both conceptual schemes and their application in practice. These methodologies have conflicting viewpoints; however, they coexist in the practical business field, and this is the methodological uniqueness of management theory. Both theories interact in the practical field of management, and they cannot be separated. Therefore, we have to provide a new methodological standpoint that includes both clinical and scientific knowledge. We discuss the capability of an anthropological approach for creating new methodologies in business administration.