Journal of Operations Management· 2014Q1
Renaissance of case research as a scientific method
- 1,256citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Case research in operations management and organization sciences has diversified into three distinct methodological approaches: theory generation, theory testing, and theory elaboration, each with unique theory-empirics interplay.
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Key points
- Case research methodology has evolved into three distinct accounts: theory generation, theory testing, and theory elaboration.
- Each case research approach exhibits unique characteristics in how it combines existing theories with empirical data.
- Rigor in case research is ultimately determined by the researcher's attention to specific idiosyncrasies and the transparency of their reasoning process.
- The field has experienced a 'Renaissance' in case research over the past 25 years, marked by methodological diversification.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Since the seminal article by Eisenhardt (1989) , scholarly interest in case research has mushroomed in operations management and organization sciences. Volumes of methodological texts are matched with a massive amount of empirical research that seeks to apply and further develop case research as a scientific method. What is missing from this literature is a treatment of the methodological diversity of case research. In this paper, we seek to unveil this heterogeneity by describing three distinct methodological accounts of case study: theory generation, theory testing, and theory elaboration. Each approach has its own idiosyncrasies, in particular when it comes to the interplay between theory and empirics. A typical case research incorporates both existing theories and empirical data to varying degrees. In light of this heterogeneity, we re‐interpret key aspects of extant contributions and discuss guidelines for future case research. We propose that ultimately, case research rigor is determined by attention to idiosyncrasy and transparency of reasoning. We conclude by arguing that we have witnessed in the past 25 years in organization research what amounts to the Renaissance of case research .
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Operations Management, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting