Commentaries on the role of theory

Allen S. Lee, M. Lynne Markus, Ola Henfridsson, Deborah R. Compeau, Fernando Olivera, David Silverman, Shirley Gregor, Julien Malaurent and David Avison
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Allen S. Lee: Virginia Commonwealth University
M. Lynne Markus: Bentley University
Ola Henfridsson: University of Warwick
Deborah R. Compeau: Western University
Fernando Olivera: Western University
David Silverman: Goldsmiths’ and King’s College
Julien Malaurent: ESSEC Business School
David Avison: City University of Hong Kong

Chapter 9 in Formulating Research Methods for Information Systems, 2015, pp 238-297 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract Whether a theory is an instance of ‘theory light’ or ‘theory is king’ depends on what is meant by ‘theory’ and, ultimately, ‘science’ in the first place. I offer a classification of science where one dimension is sciences that describe or explain either (1) what exists or has existed or (2) how to create what does not now exist or has not existed before, and the other dimension is sciences that study either (1) the physical world or (2) the world of people and their institutions. The resulting four science categories invite the consideration of different forms of theory based on their different purposes, as well as the consideration that the path to success traveled by theory in one science category is not necessarily generalizable and appropriate to, much less much less replicable by, theory in another science category. I provide the example of an ethnographically based theory that can be seen as ‘theory light’ or ‘theory rich, ‘ or even as an illustration of ‘theory is king, ‘ depending on the science category in which the theory is considered.

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-50985-7_10

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DOI: 10.1057/9781137509857_10

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