Bacharach - Organizational theories: some criteria for evaluation

8 important questions on Bacharach - Organizational theories: some criteria for evaluation

The article of Bacharach is about the establishment, relationschips, and evaluation of criteria for theory construction. Define a 'theory'?

A theory is a statement of relations among concepts within a set of boundary assumptions and constraints. (A theory may be viewed as a system of constructs and variables in which the constructs are related to each other by propositions and the variables are related to each other by hypotheses).


The purpose of theoretical statements in twofold, tell them:

1 To organize (parsimoniously/spaarzaam)
2 To communicate (cleary)
> A collection of constructs and variables does not necessarily make a theory.

Description must be distinguished from theory. It may be the source material of theories, but they are not theoretical statements. Which 3 modes of description are there?

1 Categorization of raw data (is only useful for theory building)
2 Typologies 
3 Metaphors (is a statement)
>> These 3 aren't theories!
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The notion of boundaries based on assumptions is critical because it sets the limitations in applying the theory and restrict the generalizability. These assumptions are about values, time and space. Describe those 3 assumptions:

1 Values: can often be revealed by psychoanalytic/historical/ideological studies of the theorist
2 Spatial (space) boundaries restrict the use of the theory to specific units of analysis (e.g. specific types of organizations)
3 Temporal (time) boundaries specify the applicability of a theoretical system.

Which two primary criteria upon which any theory may be evaluated are there?

1 Falsifiability: determines wheter a theory is constructed such that a empirical refutation (weerlegging) is possible.
2 Utility: the usefulness of theoretical systems. A theory is usefel when it can explain and predict.

In order to test the flasifiability of the relationships, theorists must both examine the logical and empirical adequacy. What is the logical adequacy?

The logical adequacy is the implicit or explicit logic embedded in the hypotheses and propositions which ensures that the hypotheses and propositions are capable of being disconfirmed.

In order to test the flasifiability of the relationships, theorists must both examine the logical and empircal adequacy. What is the empirical adequacy?

Empirical adequacy is the manner in which the propositions and hypotheses of a theory may be operationalized as to render (bewijs) the theory subject to disconfirmation (= weerleggen).

How can the use of the criteria improve theory building and evaluation? By... (4)

1 Ensuring the delineation (schetsing) of theoretical boundaries
2 Ensuring a common language of constructs/variables across levels
3 Specifying the distrinctions between propositions and hypotheses, and the relationships implied in them.
4 Improving the parsimony (spaarzaamheid) of our theories.

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